Collide
by cheekmagnet
Summary: What began as a unintentional rendezvous turns into something more. Set in the current events of season 6: Cameron has left PPTH, Foreman, Chase, Taub and 13 are all working for House.
1. Dinner Date

This is my first time trying to write a fanfic. I've read and enjoyed many of your stories, so I thought it was only fair that I share something too :)

Enjoy!

Thirteen closed her locker shut, only to see Foreman standing beside it.

"Leaving so early?" He asked in a flirtatious way, looking cocky with arms crossed.

She raised an eye brow, readjusted the bag strap across her shoulder. "My shift has ended, therefore I am leaving." She walked and proceeded to leave.

Surprised by the abrupt end of their conversation, Foreman touched Thirteen's shoulder as she passed by him. "Wait! I was wondering if we could have dinner or something."

Thirteen looked at Foreman's hand on her shoulder, which caused him to retract it. "No, I already have dinner plans. Goodbye Foreman." She snapped, walking away without even looking at him.

"Oh, and no, I still won't be available the next time you ask me." She continued, holding the door just as so he can see her. He had a distraught look on his face, quite the opposite of how he looked a few seconds before.

"Just accept it Eric, we're done."

"Reservation for Dr. Hadley, table for two." Thirteen explained to the host.

The host skimmed through his record, looked back at her and smiled. "Yes, doctor. Your company has been waiting for you. The usher will escort you to your table."

She turned to the guy the host had pointed to, and followed him to a table by the window.

Her eyes roamed through the place as they walked; the restaurant was more elegant than she had expected. She had only heard of the place from Taub, who apparently had taken his wife there quite a few times when he was still a plastic surgeon.

Thirteen almost bumped into the usher when he suddenly stopped in front of a table somewhere in the middle of the restaurant. She muttered an apology and readjusted her clothes as the usher shyly bowed his head and walked away.

"I figured you'd be late for our date." The blond woman sitting on the chair by the table said rather flirtatiously, as she swirled the wine glass in her hand.

Thirteen remembered how Foreman tried the very same tone on her earlier and laughed internally at how men are so lame at flirting compared to women.

"Is that what this is now?" Thirteen smirked, sitting down on the other chair and not taking her eyes off her companion.


	2. Interesting

I think some people had been mislead by the first chapter, hehe. Which was good, because that was the point of cutting it there don't fret though; this is a Cadley fic after all

Thanks for the reviews. They are very much appreciated.

BTW. Text in itals are thoughts, Thirteen's mostly.

* * *

"What should we call this then?" the blond asked, looking at the menu a waiter had handed to her.

The blond woman was quite a few years older than Thirteen. The young doctor even guessed that she might be around her early forties. _She still looks hot though_, the brunette thought, running her eyes along the other woman's body through the side of the table. She was wearing a dark red top and black slacks, both pieces of clothing perfectly showing her perfect figure. Thirteen wondered how the older woman is able to keep such a nice body, but then figured it might be all the yoga she's been doing.

Thirteen suddenly went back to her senses and remembered that she was asked a question. Her companion though did not seem to notice the odd silence. Thirteen decided to answer her anyway.

"You know Doctor Morrison, there's something called dinner with friends, I'm not sure you've heard of it" Thirteen remarked sarcastically, a fake smile plastered on her face. "Also, just because I also date women doesn't mean you get to tease me like that, and besides, wouldn't making this a date be considered 'unethical?'" the brunette continued smugly, lazily making quotation marks in the air with her fingers.

"Well technically I'm not your therapist, since you're not paying me squat." The older woman answered, not taking her eyes off the menu. "I'll have the salad please, thank you. And please Remy, we're not in the clinic, quit the doctor crap"

"Fine Caroline! But please be reminded that I haven't been paying you because you don't want me to, which brings us back to this dinner, which I proposed, to at least repay you for your services" Thirteen answered, motioning Caroline to hand her the copy of the menu to give back to the waiter. "I'll have what she's having and some red wine please."

The waiter walked away and left the two women who at that moment were staring at each other for reasons that even they did not have an idea of. Caroline decided to break the stare and leaned forward, as if daring Thirteen. "There are other ways you can repay me for my services you know"

Thirteen ran her fingers through hair, a smile creeping into her face. "Alright, that's it. I give up. I can't keep up with this pretend flirting! Go get yourself a horny teenage boy and be a cougar or something!" Her smile turned into a slight chuckle, which was immediately followed by a laugh by the blond.

"Maybe I will!" Caroline answered. Their conversation was then cut short by the waiter who had arrived with their food. Two continued with their banter as they ate their salads and drank their wine.

Halfway through her salad though, Thirteen heard a familiar voice coming from the table right behind Caroline. There were three girls at the table, two brunettes and one blonde. Thirteen tried to watch them subtly, trying to catch who among the three had the voice she recognized. She saw one of the brunettes speak. _Not her_, she thought. Thirteen turned to the other two women who laughed at what the brunette had said. She caught sight of the blond and found her answer. _Cameron?_

Thirteen apparently was not so subtle in watching the women on the other side of the table. "You know, you watching them like a hawk is like borderline creepy." Caroline asked, smirking at Thirteen who was surprisingly caught off guard. "Is one of the girls behind me a friend of yours? One of your conquests, maybe?"

"No, just someone I know from work" she answered coolly, taking a piece of lettuce and putting it in her mouth. She glanced back at Cameron on the other table, who at that moment looked at her direction. Cameron's eyes widened for a second at the sight of Thirteen then smiled. Thirteen tilted her head as if to acknowledge the smile.

"I need to go to the bathroom" Thirteen said, standing up and placing the napkin beside her plate. She walked towards Cameron's table and thought about smiling at her again but thought better of it. _One smile is cool, twice, especially if the first one is just a few seconds earlier is just weird._

Thirteen just got out of one of the cubicles when she saw Cameron, leaning by the sink. "Geez, you scared me! I didn't even hear someone come in!"

Cameron just smiled and then faced the mirror. "I figured you'd go back to dating women after Foreman."

Thirteen was surprised; Cameron and her barely even talked when they were both working in PPTH. It was weird Cameron even had an opinion that involved her.

"You're right about the dating women part, but this one isn't a date. She's my therapist."

"Right." Cameron answered, obviously not believing Thirteen's answer. "That's almost as true as me saying that I'm dating one of my friends back at the table"

A grin formed in Thirteen's face at the thought of Cameron dating a woman. "So why are you here anyway? Foreman said that Chase said you moved back to Chicago." _Damn men are talkative._

"I want him to think I already moved to Chicago. I probably will, but not anytime soon." Cameron answered, facing Thirteen, who was then checking her hair at the mirror.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, then Cameron got something from her bag and handed it to Thirteen. "Here's my card, my number's in there. I already have yours, House gave it to me months ago. He said you'd be the woman I want if ever I decide to 'bat for the other team'" Her face contorted a little, remembering how ridiculous House was when he did that.

Thirteen held out her hand and accepted the card. She looked at it and then looked back at Cameron when she realized that Cameron did not exactly explain why she gave her calling card.

Cameron must have read Thirteen's face; she chuckled and then stated her explanation: "I just figured we never really talked when we were at the hospital, with everyone always comparing us and all. We could have coffee some time or something."

Thirteen looked at the card again and then nodded at Cameron.

"Only if you really want to, no pressure here Dr. Hadley." Cameron continued, stressing on the first word of her sentence. "And besides, I just thought it'd be nice to another woman without the conversation being about that Jacob guy in Twilight." She said, tilting her head to the right to refer to her company outside.

Thirteen smiled at what seems to be a side of Cameron she had never seen. However, before she could say another word, Cameron had walked back out of the bathroom and back to her friends outside.

_Huh, interesting._

_

* * *

  
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**I feel like the story is going too slow. Please tell me if it is. I'm kind of neurotic, which makes my stories more peppered with thoughts than actual actions. Thanks!  
**


	3. Reasons

**Much thanks again, for the reviews. Actually at first I had difficulty deciding who would make the first move in the bathroom scene. That part ended up writing itself. My only explanation for what happened is that the Cameron character in my head has this thing where she figures that she had just summoned enough guts to leave her husband and a man she used to love, might as well dare to do new things lol. Also, I'll try to write longer chapters, I promise**

**Here's the third chapter, enjoy! =)**

* * *

"Did you just do that blond in the bathroom?" Caroline asked in such a casual tone that it made Thirteen wonder if the woman had forgotten that they were in a public place.

"Yeah, and you're Barney the dinosaur" Thirteen answered, causing the other woman to roll her eyes.

"Did you really think I'd be stupid enough not no notice that you and the blond at the table behind me left and arrived at almost the same time? You had sex with her in there, didn't you? Tell me in which cubicle so I would know where not to go" Caroline retorted, not even bothering to lower her voice.

Thirteen wondered how Caroline knew that Cameron left right after she did, and soon realized that there was a mirror on the wall behind her, giving Caroline a perfect view of the other table.

"Of course not! What kind of a question is that?!" Thirteen stammered. The irritation in her voice was undeniable.

"Hey, hey, I was just making sure. Knowing you and your way with women, having sex with random people in restaurant bathrooms isn't really that strange of a thing." Caroline calmly explained, quite surprised with Thirteen's sudden agitation. "I'm not House, Remy. I am not asking just because, I am asking because I need to know."

"Sorry, it was just a ridiculous question, that's all." The brunette answered, calmer this time. She shifted herself from her seat and drank some more wine.

Thirteen questioned her own behavior as well. She knew that her therapist wasn't asking just to entertain herself, like House does it. She also knew that it wasn't really an odd question; such actions were not exactly out of her character. But why was she pissed off by the fact that her therapist assumed that Cameron was the type of woman that does the type of thing that she herself had done so many times?

_Maybe I respect Cameron_, she thought.

Thirteen looked up at Caroline who was apparently looking at her intently. She looked further behind her and saw that Cameron and her friends were already leaving. Cameron glanced at her just before she walked away and gave her a half-smile. She returned the gesture and then looked back at Caroline, who hadn't moved a muscle.

"What?" she mouthed.

Caroline still didn't budge, as if waiting for something. Thirteen soon realized what it was when she saw the older woman glance at the mirror for a split second. Caroline was waiting for Cameron and her friends to get out of earshot.

"Did something go on between you and that woman?" Caroline finally started, glancing at her empty wine glass. She raised her hand and signaled to a waiter nearby.

"No, we almost never even talked when she worked at the hospital." Thirteen explained. She then realized that their dinner was turning into one of their therapy sessions. "And please, Caroline, we're not in the clinic, so quit the doctor crap."

"Fair enough." Caroline answered, sipping her wine, deciding not to push Thirteen even more.

Minutes after, as both women stood up to leave, Thirteen opened her bag and placed Cameron's card, which hasn't left her hand since it was given to her, into one of the pockets.

* * *

The things that happened that night did not really slip back into Thirteen's mind after that. But not that she didn't want them to. House just didn't exactly give their team even a few minute's rest after they nearly lost their patient that week. But as she was rummaging through her locker looking for her keys that Friday night, she got reacquainted with the rectangular card the blond doctor had given her a week earlier.

She ran her finger through the print on the card and thought of what to do next. She thought of how weird it was that Cameron actually came up to her, gave her card, and inviter her to hang out some time. _It was rather bold of her_. She decided that the blond doctor deserves a phone call and an invitation just for that.

"Hello?" The blond answered, breathing heavily.

"Dr. Cameron, this is Dr. Hadley, is this a bad time?" _Oh my god, oh my god is she having-_

"No, no! Sorry, I got bored watching TV and decided to get on the treadmill."

"Right." Thirteen was grinning from ear to ear, fascinated of how silly Cameron's explanation was. She debated in her head whether to believe the explanation or not, but decided that it didn't matter anyway. _I guess Cameron is kinda quirky._ "Anyway I have my off tomorrow, want to get that coffee?"

"That'd be great! At what time did you have in mind?" Cameron answered. Her voice was much more relaxed then.

"I haven't thought that far actually, what time are you available?" Thirteen knew to herself that she had the whole day off, but decided that she'd let Cameron decide for them.

"Actually I have the whole day off. But I kind of doubt you're one to enjoy early morning chat with an ex-colleague." Cameron answered, smiling. Thirteen felt her smile through the line and ended up smiling herself. "How about at 3, that shop in front of Black Eyed Pea at Arbrook Street?"

"Great!" Thirteen answered, far more eagerly than she intended to. She smacked her palm into her forehead and hoped that Cameron didn't notice.

If she did, Thirteen wouldn't know. "Alright, see you tomorrow Dr. Hadley."

Thirteen heard a click and the line went dead. _That was so weird, _she thought, looking at her phone in her hand. She still couldn't figure out why Cameron would suddenly become so friendly towards her. The older doctor did not express any desire to know her better when they were in the same building. _Maybe she's—_

"Was that a booty call? Seems too early for one, isn't it?" House said, looking at his watch. "But you're staring at your phone, and you look like an idiot. My diagnosis is that there was a call suggesting hot girl-on-girl action later tonight" House opened the door to the locker room and kept it opened with his cane.

Thirteen decided not to answer and proceeded on gathering up her things. House just watched her, waiting for a retort. The brunette finally glanced up at her boss and saw him grinning, as if mocking her. "Well?" he asked. She knew she shouldn't humor him, but not doing so would just make him drive her nuts. "Go away House, I'm going home, I've got women to do"

"Atta girl!" House cheered. Thirteen kicked off House's cane from the door and walked past him, leaving the brilliant doctor smiling.

* * *

The next day, Thirteen walked in the coffee shop and scanned the entire place for a particular blond. She finally found her at a corner, reading what looked like a medical journal. She walked closer as the blond, who was oblivious of the person approaching her.

"Couldn't keep yourself off medicine, couldn't you?" Thirteen commented softly, trying not to startle Cameron. The blond woman glanced up at her companion and smiled as she put down the journal at the table. "Well, I am out of the hospital but I am still a doctor."

"I know what you mean; I was reading one of those even when I was in Thailand!" Thirteen answered. The two women giggled for a few seconds, which was followed by what Thirteen thought of as the most awkward silence ever. As they eyed each other out, Thirteen suddenly wondered what she and her companion would talk about.

"So," Cameron spoke, looking straight into Thirteen's eyes. "I didn't really think you'd show."

"Yeah, me too." Thirteen answered, running her fingers through her hair. "But I didn't have anything else to do, so I thought why not spend it drinking decaf with another doctor"

Cameron raised an eyebrow. She didn't seem to buy it, which Thirteen admittedly thought wasn't really a convincing thing to say. The younger woman then figured she couldn't blame Cameron for not believing her though; the explanation she gave wasn't entirely true.

"Chase punched House you know" Thirteen continued, hoping to get more reaction from Cameron. The blond turned slightly to the window and then sighed.

"House compared Chase to you and told him that you're the better doctor"

"That is not why I invited you, Dr. Hadley" Cameron finally responded. She seemed disappointed, but tried not to show it.

Thirteen was taken aback, and decided to think of something else to say. She ended up telling the truth: "Sorry, I just thought you wanted to hang out so I can update you with Chase and House"

Cameron didn't seem too surprised with what Thirteen had assumed. "I left for a reason, Dr. Hadley."

_OK now I'm really confused_, Thirteen thought. "So then, why are we here? Not that I mind."

Cameron smiled at Thirteen, as if enjoying the confused state that the brunette was in.

"Like I said, I left for a reason. But that reason, is in no way, even remotely connected to you."

* * *

**I hope this is quite long enough. Today is Friday where I am from, and is the first day in quite a while that I can actually rest and not think about work. This fic is now becoming my vent; I write when I start to hate work lol. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to important matters, such as being in my couch and watching House all day :)  
**

**Again, thank you for the reviews **


	4. I Make Straight Girls Lesbian

Thirteen tried to digest Cameron's response. _Is that supposed to be a good thing?_

Cameron seems to have read the inner debate going in within Thirteen and decided to give the other doctor a break. "Dr. Hadley. I just meant that of all the people from the hospital, you're one of those that I didn't really have a problem with." The blond continued, her voice rather playful.

Thirteen pursed her lips. She didn't think that Cameron wouldn't have had a problem with her if they really knew each other. But then again, what was the use of arguing?

"Fine." She lied. A grin slowly formed across Thirteen's face, followed a sigh of relief from Cameron.

An awkward silence fell upon the two women once again. Thirteen looked around the coffee shop for things to talk about. She was tapping her hand on the armrest of her chair to a certain beat, that didn't go unnoticed by Cameron. _She isn't as uptight as I thought she was_, thought Cameron.

Thirteen finally gave up and decided to ask about the medicine journal when a waiter approached them and asked for their order. _At least this will buy us a few minutes of non-awkward moments, _the brunette thought.

After the waiter left, it seemed like it was Cameron's turn to struggle in starting a conversation. Thirteen watched the other woman look around and smiled, knowing that the blond is doing the exact same thing she was doing moments before.

"So, how was Thailand?" Cameron started. Thirteen looked around, searching for what made Cameron decide that they are going to talk about Thailand. She couldn't find anything remotely connected to Thailand, or traveling even. She returned her gaze at Cameron, who at that moment looked like she's about to ask if Thirteen was hearing things. "Earlier, you mentioned that you were in Thailand, how was it?"

"Sorry I just… Thailand was great!" Thirteen quickly answered. She decided that even though explaining why she was looking around like an idiot would have been funny, it would have brought out the fact that they are having difficulty making small talk. "The sights were breath-taking, people were awesome."

"That's nice to hear. I've been planning on doing some traveling of my own, but haven't decided on where to just yet." Cameron looked up at the window panes beside her, which made Thirteen wonder if the woman was thinking of where to travel, or simply avoiding eye contact.

"Hm, Asia is always nice. Europe too! I can hook you up with my travel agent if you want, she's great." Thirteen offered, looking back at the bar and wondering why their coffee hadn't arrived yet.

Cameron smirked, watching Thirteen look at the bar "But not as great as your therapist huh?"

Thirteen quickly turned back to Cameron and mirrored the smirk. "You know, it's bad enough that I have a boss that takes pleasure in teasing me about my bisexuality. But, you? The oh-so sweet Dr. Cameron? I am hurt!" she said sarcastically.

Cameron laughed softly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of you. It's just that I've always taken you as the type who frequents bars and goes for young party-girl types. It surprised me to see you at the restaurant with an older woman. She's hot though."

_There she goes with the opinion again!_ Thirteen wondered how much Cameron knows about her, considering that the doctor seems to have a clear image of who she is despite them barely talking, let alone seeing each other. _Maybe I have House to thank for that, practically announcing every detail he can take hold of to the whole hospital!_ _Wait did she just say Caroline is hot?_

"Well that isn't far from the truth" Thirteen admitted, chuckling at Cameron. "The women I've dated have always been either my age or younger, and I used to regularly drink myself into oblivion at bars."

"Past tense noted" Cameron replied, nodding slightly at Thirteen in salute.

"The woman, I was with last week, is Caroline. She is really my therapist. She's an old friend and she won't let me pay her, so I decided to take her out in exchange. And yes, she really is something" Thirteen continued. A waiter then arrived with their coffee and gave the two women their beverage.

Cameron took a sip of her latte, her face immediately reacting to the hot fluid going down her throat. "Are you alright?" Thirteen asked, leaning forward towards Cameron. The other woman grabbed a piece of napkin at the table and covered her mouth with it as her face turned pink.

The worried look on Thirteen's face made Cameron smile, which remained obvious despite the napkin covering half her face. The blond regained composure seconds later, her face becoming less pinkish as it was before. "That thing is hot!" she said, pointing at her cup.

"Yeah, I kinda got that when you started turning red" Thirteen teased, taking a sip of her tea.

"Whatever." Cameron retorted, blowing over her latte. "You haven't answered my question though."

Thirteen was lost. _What question?_

The brunette thought for a while, replaying their conversation from a few moments ago trying to remember Cameron's question.

"What question?" Thirteen repeated, out loud this time.

"Is she better than your travel agent?"

_What is this woman up to?!_ Thirteen narrowed her eyes at the blond. "I thought my word vomit a while ago gave away the fact that I'm not sleeping with her. She's my therapist, plus she's straight."

"I thought no woman is ever really straight" Cameron quipped.

"Well, House says so, and he says that he is god, so, if he is god, then yeah, every woman is gay" Thirteen giggled. "Actually, he gave me a shirt last Christmas that said 'I am so hot I make straight girls lesbian!' I've never worn it though"

_Actually I don't think those two things are even rela-_

Thirteen's thoughts were cut off when Cameron laughed out loud. "Actually, I think so too."

Thirteen slightly raised her eyebrow, _OK_ w_hich one does she think so too? That all women are gay, or that I'm hot?_

Cameron, who failed to notice how her answer confused the brunette, continued without clarifying anything. "All women are beautiful. Too beautiful that it makes not being attract other women almost impossible" Cameron responded, her tone almost serious.

_So I guess she was talking about the women being gay thing,_ the younger doctor decided.

"You do know that you are a woman too, right?" Thirteen asked. "And that you saying that is like admitting that you get attracted to women as well."

"Well…" Cameron started, putting down the mug in her hand onto the table. She arranged it a couple of times to place it perfectly in the middle of the napkin she had used earlier. "Maybe not in the same level that you do, but I do have my own concept of an attractive woman"

_Should've figured I'd get a safe answer_, Thirteen thought, deciding that she'd let Cameron get a taste of her own teasing. "So, when you encounter a woman that epitomizes your 'concept' of an attractive woman, how do you feel?"

Cameron paused, taking the mug from the table and holding it with both hands, staring blankly into space, deep in thought. Thirteen leaned back into her chair, waiting for the other woman to answer.

After a few seconds, Thirteen thought that Cameron would chicken out of her rather daring question, considering how long it was taking her to respond.

However, she was wrong.

"When I see a beautiful woman, everything feels so light. I feel like a mere piece of metal being magnetized towards her." Cameron put her feet up on the chair and cradled the mug in her hand; her sight still set somewhere else in the room. "Like whatever grudge or anger I've been holding onto at that particular time has been lifted off me against my will, and that my only goal on that moment is to make her smile. It feels like I'll never be happy unless I am within her orbit. Like a single touch from her could make my knees weaken and take away my pain." And with that last sentence, she set her eyes at a then dumbfounded Thirteen. _I was just daring her to answer. She really did; and gave a very good one at that._

"Well that was a very detailed answer" Thirteen croaked out. She hated the fact that she had to ruin Cameron's moment with a foolish reaction, but she felt like she had no choice.

"Is it?" Cameron asked, blood rushing to her cheeks. "I guess I've always thought about the answer, and was just waiting for someone to ask the question."

"That's alright" Thirteen responded, taking her own mug and drinking the liquid in it.

The brunette suddenly felt guilty; she asked Cameron just to try her, to see if she'd answer, she didn't realize the blond would give such a meaningful and deep answer.

A silent moment had dawned on them once again. However this time it wasn't awkward at all. Both women seemed relieved by the level of comfort they've achieved.

The silence was soon broken by a distant sound that resembled a fire alarm. Thirteen shifted herself and reached through her back pocket, bringing out the source of the sound: her phone.

"House it's my day off, call someone else!" Thirteen immediately stammered, not even bothering to say hello. Cameron smiled lightly, remembering the days she'd get the same irritating phone call.

"Where are you? What are you doing?" House asked, ignoring Thirteen's previous statement.

"I'm doing Cuddy, you happy now?" Thirteen answered. Cameron's eyes grew wide at the brunette, who noticed her reaction and winked at her almost instinctively. _OK I just winked at Cameron, what the hell?_

"I knew it! That's all, really. I was just making sure my favorite lesbian has returned, and that she was not damaged in any way by her experiment with Mr. Bling!" House continued, his words a little slurry.

"Goodbye House. I'm hanging up now" Thirteen answered, not really in the mood to indulge her boss any further.

"By the way we have a case! Bye!" House quickly explained before hanging up. Thirteen stared at her phone for a few seconds then threw it at the coffee table. She tried to figure out if House was serious about the case. She leaned forward and held her phone again. "I think I got to go, we have a case."

Cameron looked almost disappointed, but not surprised one bit. "Ok, this was really great Dr, Hadley. Thanks for coming."

"Yeah, maybe we could do it again?" Thirteen asked as she stood up. The words seemed to have bypassed her brain and came straight out of her mouth.

"That'd be great!" Cameron answered, a sweet smile appearing on her face as she looked up at Thirteen.

"Great. I'll choose what we'll drink next time though." Thirteen said lightheartedly, standing beside the chair she had previously occupied. "See you later Dr. Cameron."

"You too, Thirteen."

"I'll call you!" Thirteen finally said, slowly walking backwards to the exit of the coffee shop, taking her eyes off the blond only at the last second.

_That went well._


	5. Mind Fck

**Thank you ilive4jeanz and Amazon Life for the positive feedback on the awkward encounter. I actually got the idea for it from my own awkward moments with those I've dated lol.**

**BTW, this is kind of a late reply but I'd like to acknowledge your feedback on Cameron (WParker13, tortured2, Vanamo, and katchel) I know she's a little PMS-y, but I'm aiming for us enjoying much sexual tension between these two women. Actually it is only through writing this that I realized how hard it is to write about Cameron's character when you're a sucker for conflict and sexual tension. She's too nice!**

* * *

_So she joked around when I was being serious, and then turned serious when I joked around, talk about not being in-sync!_ Thirteen thought as she drove her way to the hospital.

Squeezing the steering wheel while waiting for the traffic light, she let out a tired sigh, knowing that another case means a whole new episode of House's mind fucking. Her memory took her back to House's phone call earlier. It was an odd call, even for the old bastard. She started doubting that there was really a case, and soon enough she was reaching for her phone to call Taub.

She held her phone with her right hand and steered with the left. She looked at her position and at the back of her head hoped hard that a tremor wouldn't come. She hadn't had one for a while, but that did not comfort her one bit. Her disease is not matter of "if", but "when." Driving far slower than she normally does, the young doctor searched for Taub's name through her phonebook, taking quick glances on the road.

As she scrolled through the names she saw Kutner's contact details and realized that she hadn't erased them. She convinced herself that it was just because she always forgot, but really, it was because she didn't want to. She quickly turned her eyes on the road and scrolled down without looking at her phone, leaving Kutner's number on her list.

Seconds later, Taub's name finally came to view and the brunette proceeded with the call. She held the phone between her shoulder and her ear and held the steering wheel with both hands. She let it ring for about four times, and was about to hang up when she heard Taub's voice on the other end of the line. He was obviously at the hospital; she could even hear Cuddy talking on the background. "Taub, it's Thirteen. Do we have a new case?"

"No. I'm here at the hospital. I would've known if there's one. Why?" the man answered.

Thirteen gritted her teeth and cursed House endlessly inside her head. "He called a while ago and told me we had one. I was about to go there. Anyway I'll probably just head home. Thanks Taub."

After throwing her phone to the passenger seat, Thirteen tried not to think about why House had tried to trick her into going to work. The brilliant doctor had always pulled a lot of nasty pranks, but never without a reason for it. She knew something was up, but decided that she was too pissed off at House for him to occupy her mind right now.

Minutes had passed when Thirteen finally realized that she was navigating her car on pure instinct, unconsciously following her regular route to the hospital. She decided to pull over in front of a diner and turned off the engine. _Hmm, where to go next._

The idea of heading to a bar crossed her mind. Removing her seatbelt and sitting more comfortably, she tapped her fingers along the steering wheel, thinking of the pros and cons.

_It's been a while,_ she thought, running her fingers through her hair. She found herself unable to keep still as she continued to entertain the idea of getting wasted that early in the afternoon. She glanced at her watch and realized that it was already ten minutes before 5 o'clock. _I guess I didn't notice time go by a while ago when I was with Cameron._

_Cameron_. The blonde doctor slipped back into the brunette's mind, and before she knew it, she had already forgotten about going to a bar and instead pondered at what Cameron was doing.

She thought of calling the older doctor to see if she was still at the coffee shop, but soon decided against it. "Enough awkwardness for one day" she said to herself, letting out a huge sigh as she started the engine of her car and headed back home.

* * *

She stood in front of her door and reached down through her back pocket for her key. She then remembered that Foreman hadn't returned his key yet, and made a mental note in her head to ask him for it. She unlocked the door and turned the knob, glancing slightly at the glass divider at her right. As she closed the door she froze, and realized that she saw something weird about the silhouette of her living room from the glass divider.

Her heartbeat started to go faster, as she turned and looked through the divider once again.

There was a man sitting on her couch.

An angry look immediately formed on Thirteen's face as she walked towards the living room. The man seemed to be expecting her, and simply grinned when the brunette came into clear view.

"You came home. Interesting." The man said.

"No, creepy and annoying is what this is! Give me back my key House!" The brunette stammered, holding out her hand. House stood up and walked past her instead, looking at magazines placed at the table beside the couch. "What? No Playboy?"

Thirteen turned to look at House, who was then walking around her living room as if he was in a museum. She tilted her head back and breathed deeply in defeat, as she watched her boss tinker around with the little statues she had bought from Thailand.

And then, all of a sudden, it hit her.

"You knew I'd find out that you lied about having case." Thirteen stated, crossing her arms.

A smile grew on House's face. He placed back the statue on the shelf and turned slightly to look at Thirteen. "You see, this is why I like you."

Thirteen raised her eyebrow at her boss. House turned to face her and walked towards her. He stopped right in front of her and looked her in the eye. "Why are you so pissed?"

Thirteen uncrossed her arms and walked towards the shelf House had looked through moments before. She placed back the statues on their right places and rearranged the picture frames House had messed up. "I am not pissed. And besides, were you that bored? That prank was totally lame; I actually expected much from you!"

House placed his cane on the table and limped his way back into the couch. He raised his arms and rested his head behind his entwined hands. "Did you really think I'd just lure you into the hospital for nothing?"

Thirteen finished rearranging her stuff and sat behind House on the couch. She made sure there was enough distance between them just in case he'd try something. "What? Was there a big booby trap inside my locker or something?" she unconsciously imitated House's position and raised her legs to rest on top of the table in front of them.

"Actually, the whole idea wasn't about where I tried to make you go, but rather on what and who I made you leave." House answered. He got up, grabbed his cane and walked away from Thirteen, towards her door. He stopped right before he walked through the glass dividers and looked at the brunette. "The fact that you hadn't realized what I did the way I thought you would mean there's nothing to discuss. See ya!"

A slightly mortified look grew on Thirteen's face as she watched House walked out of her apartment. She dropped her hands on her lap and leaned forward, as House waved at her mockingly through the glass before he closed the door.

At first, she thought she had busted House's prank when she found out about them not having a case. But now she realizes that she was wrong. House wasn't trying to trick her into going to the hospital; he was trying to ruin hers and Cameron's "coffee date."

_And he succeeded_. The young woman leaned back into her couch, and closed her eyes.


	6. We're The Same

**ilive4jeanz – lol yeah he was mean, but knowing House, there's always a deeper meaning with his actions**

**less than 13 – thanks, i plan on continuing this as regularly as possible. Your pen name makes me curious btw.**

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The following week the team really had a case, and Thirteen found herself in the middle of a differential, which was quickly turning into a mindless debate about The L Word. The brunette leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and nursing her temples with her hands. All the talking about lesbian soft porn was giving her a headache.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you have no say on this Thirteen! Don't you realize that we're only talking about this to not make you uncomfortable?" House whined, playing with his cane as he rocked his chair. "Especially that you're the only woman in this team, and that every man here had at some point imagined sleeping with you" he continued, flashing a sly grin to the three other doctors with them.

The three men sat in shock, while the only woman in the room simply closed her eyes shut. "Don't worry guys, our resident bisexual doesn't mind. Don't let it get to your head though, Thirty one. Sure we have the hots for you, but it's not like you're the hottest woman on the--"

"Shut up House!" Thirteen suddenly exclaimed. "Can we just get back to treating the patient?" She ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back on her chair, glaring at Taub and Chase. She didn't even bother looking at Foreman; just the fact that the guy had been pestering her about getting back together all week made her shudder.

"Far less fun, but that'll work." House answered. He set down his cane then stood up, walking his way to his office. "Foreman, Taub, check the house. Chase, go give the patient an LP."

All three men stood up at the same time and left the room. Thirteen remained seated, looking aimlessly at the other side of the room.

"Thirteen, in my office"

House's voice resounded across the room far louder than Thirteen had expected. She jerked for a little, causing House to narrow his eyes at her. Thirteen turned to look at her boss, and saw him walking back into his office.

She sighed, thought for a second, and got up, following House into his office. She closed the door and faced her boss, placing both hands inside her pockets. House sat rather comfortably on his chair, his tennis ball rotating around his palm.

"How's Cameron?" He asked.

Thirteen walked towards the chair in front of House's table and sat there. "She's fine."

"When is she going back to Chicago?" He asked again, staring intently at his tennis ball.

She watched him closely. _Something's up._ She thought of her answer carefully. House was engaging in a real conversation for once; one wrong answer and their conversation will most likely turn back to his endless mocking once more. She hadn't figured out what House had exactly meant when he trespassed on her apartment the previous week, and she felt that House would tell her if she played her cards right.

He was looking at her now, and she realized she had to come up with answer, and fast.

"You're asking me? Don't you always have your way of knowing things?"

House immediately turned away and looked at his tennis ball intently.

At this point, Thirteen remembered why House was asking her instead of having Cameron stalked as he normally would. _Lucas sold him out._ She instantly regretted saying what she had just said and worried that House might just give a wise-ass answer and keep her in the dark about why she made him leave Cameron at the coffee place.

"I just think it's more fun to ask you, especially how we're so alike and all. It'll be just like me asking me" He answered dryly. Thirteen knew he wasn't trying to be funny.

Also, she wasn't sure if he meant alike in general or alike in their interest towards the blond doctor, but she decided not to ask.

"She didn't say." The brunette answered, turning her gaze to the door. "Why were you there anyway?" She figured it was a waste of time asking House how he found them at the shop. _Did he follow-_

"I didn't follow you, I followed her." He answered, reading Thirteen's mind. "I was going to talk to her but you showed up"

"That's why you tricked me into leaving?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

House smirked at her and then threw the tennis ball in the air, catching it with his left hand. "I was going to talk to her after you left, but she left too before I had the chance."

Giving House an "oh well" kind of look, Thirteen stood up and turned to leave. She stopped midway and turned to her boss. "It's not my fault your trusted stalker sold you out. It's not my fault to can't take hold of Cameron anymore. If you want to talk to her, then do it. Leave me out of it."

"I would've if you didn't show up, which brings us to the next question. Why were _you_ there with her?"

Thirteen's mouth grew open, and remained that way for a few seconds before she was able to answer. "Ahh…We ran into each other a few weeks back, and ended up inviting each other for coffee."

"Right." House replied, very much dissatisfied. "Was it a part of your 'I'm not going to throw my life away' program? Having casual coffee with goody goody doctors?"

"If you were going to talk to her, why did you go to my place after?" The brunette retorted, taking her hands out of her pockets and resting both on her hips.

House placed the ball on the saucer and leaned forward, as if he's been waiting for Thirteen to ask him that. "She arrived first, which means she invited you. Now, her inviting you for coffee isn't that interesting; she's probably just trying to prove to herself that the only reason she wasn't able to become friends with you was that you didn't interact enough"

Thirteen walked back a few steps towards House and waited for him to go on. She knew he wasn't done just yet.

"But the fact that you came, on the other hand, is an anomaly. It's either you're trying to prove the same thing she is, which I doubt, or you are interested in her" House continued, waiting to elicit a reaction from the brunette, which ended up in vain.

"Also, the fact that you actually left despite your doubts meant that you were trying to escape. You both were just getting comfortable during your meeting, and you know that ending it abruptly would leave her wanting more. You want her to invite you again."

"That's ridiculous!" Thirteen exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air in disbelief.

"Furthermore" House started again. "Even after realizing that my call was a false alarm, you headed home. You could've called her and continued your meeting, but you didn't. That meeting had served its purpose for you. You've struck her interest."

House leaned back, satisfied with his rationalization. A huge grin was planted on his face.

A brazen smile crept through the brunette's face, knowing that arguing would not lead to anything good. "Seems like you've got everything figured out. I'll go check on the patient. See you later, House." The brunette retorted, walking to the door.

"You're fooling yourself, you know! She's not your type! You'll be back to bars and babes in no time!" House shouted as she left, earning a few glances from the people walking right outside the office. Thirteen held her head down in embarrassment and walked to the elevator.

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When Thirteen entered the lab Chase was almost finished running through some tests. She leaned on one of the tables a couple of steps away from him. He glanced at her for a quick moment and went back on waiting for the test results.

He seemed to hesitate a few times before finally talking. "For the record, House was wrong a while ago, I-"

"It's OK, House is an ass." The woman quipped, walking beside the Australian who had smiled at her remark. She wondered if she should mention to the doctor that she was with his ex-wife the weekend before. But then she remembered that Cameron mentioned about wanting Chase to think she had gone back to Chicago.

The printer slowly churned out the test result, and the smile that had occupied the male doctor's face seconds before slowly faded, which caused the brunette to worry.

"Tests were negative. We were wrong"


	7. Consent

Thank you guys for the wonderful reviews of the last chapter. The idea for it came out of nowhere, really, but I loved writing it and I'm glad you like it too. Sorry for not updating as frequent as usual. There's just been too many things to do at work. Hopefully there'll be less work during the holidays

**Anonymousow, HouseMDfan13, and EvaH2Os** – thanks! Keep reading, I'll try to make sure we all enjoy this entire story =)

**Amazon Life** – I didn't realize until you pointed out that he went to Thirteen's instead of continuing stalking Cameron. I guess he really can't resist an anomaly! The interpretation surprised even me, actually. I didn't have any plan when I was writing it. Thank you! And here's some Cameron for you

**ilive4jeanz** – Your comment made my day. Thank you, really.

**WParker13** – that's ok, no problem =) we'll get to that part (about House wanting to talk to Cam) a little later on.

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A few hours and a couple of convulsions later, House and the team were still unable to diagnose what the patient has. They had agreed on trying on every treatment they could think of and wait if the condition improves. Thirteen had volunteered to take on the first shift watching the patient.

She headed to the locker room to get herself something to read while watching the patient. As she headed back to the patient's room, a familiar, unmistakably annoying form approached her. She looked away from that person's direction, desperately hoping that he would just go away.

"Remy, do you want some company?" Foreman asked. He had his coat on and his bag with him, which meant he's about to go home. _Just go home Foreman! _The sincere look on his face reminded Thirteen that she forgot to tell him how unconvincing it was.

"No, I'm good." Thirteen looked everywhere except towards the man he was talking to; making it clear that she wasn't in the mood to chat.

"Are you sure? Because if you want I can-"

"No!" The brunette responded, not wanting to hear another word. Closing her eyes shut, she ran her fingers through her hair. "Look, you said you don't have problems with us working together. Keep your word and leave me alone. "

"I wasn't asking you on a date, I was asking if you need company while watching the patient." Foreman defended, tensing as he fought the urge to touch the brunette.

"Something you wouldn't have asked if it weren't for the fact that we dated, and that you want us to continue doing so." Her voice was getting louder and a few passersby were glancing at them, but she didn't care; she had to make her point known to her ex.

"Fine." The man answered, sighing in defeat. "But can we at least skip the awkward part of being exes and at least be friends?"

"You know what, let's skip the awkward part of being exes _and_ the being friends part. Let's just go way back…to being colleagues."

As she walked away from Foreman she saw him from the reflection coming off the glass wall of the patient's room that he was still standing in the middle of the hallway, watching her with a dismayed look on his face. She prayed like hell that he would walk away, and thankfully he did. A smile made its way to her face and it lingered up until the point when she entered the patient's room.

At around midnight, Thirteen had already finished the medical journal she had brought and was getting bored fast. She fished through her lab coat pocket for her cellphone and thought of checking her voice mail. She rarely had any messages, and the only ones she had always were from telemarketers but, at least she could hear someone else's voice for a change. She had been sitting there for hours and the patient hadn't made a single sound.

"You have one new voice message received today at eleven forty-six PM" The machine stated monotonously. _Wow, I actually have a message_? The brunette though, raising her eyebrow as she listened. Pressing a button on her phone, she pressed her phone back to her ear to listen to the message.

It took her less than a second to recognize who the message was from, and far less time than that to smile at that realization.

"Hi Thirteen, it's Cameron. Uh, I'll probably be in New York for a couple of days this week and, since we said that we're gonna meet again soon I just figured that I'd, uh, let you know so that we could schedule it to a later time. I'll be back by Saturday noon so anytime after that would be fine. But then of course, if that offer was just for mere courtesy then ignoring this call would work as well. Bye!"

Thirteen glanced at her watch; it was a minute past 12. She bit her lip as her eyes roamed around the room, as if trying to solve a dilemma. She stood up and approached the patient. He was asleep, and his vitals were normal. Finally, she walked back took the phone she had placed on the sofa where she sat and dialed.

"Hello?" said the woman on the line. Thirteen made sure to listen carefully if the voice of the woman she had called sounded like she had just woken up. It didn't.

"Dr. Cameron, how dare you assume we're going to meet again?" The brunette answered in fake anger. She had planned on pretending to be mad for at least a minute but it was obviously bound to fail as she was already trying to stop herself from laughing the second after she answered.

"Well," the woman responded coyly, humoring Thirteen. "As far as I can remember, you were the one who said we're going to meet again. I guess it was a mistake to think you're not the big fat liar I always thought you were."

"Did you just call me fat?"

The blonde's light laughter on the other line made Thirteen smile. She looked around consciously around the room and at the hall, making sure no one was there watching her smile like an idiot, as House would say.

A few seconds later the blonde's laughter finally subsided. "So I take it you've heard my message?" Cameron responded, still chuckling a bit.

Thirteen stood up and took a quick peek at the patient before walking back towards the sofa and settling herself in a more horizontal and comfortable position. "Yeah, actually, I couldn't remember agreeing that we have to update each other on every single detail of our lives but, it's all good, at least for now." she replied light-heartedly. It caused the blond to laugh again, which surprisingly made Thirteen feel so relaxed. _I can't remember the last time I was able to make someone laugh this much while sober._

"Look, I know for a fact that your schedule is really crazy. I actually did both of us a favor; it would have sucked if you had already scheduled your day off for us to meet and then realize that I was in New York, right?" Cameron's answer sounded too serious to be a joke that it made Thirteen pause.

The pause soon became too long for comfort, at least for Cameron. "Anyway, at least I think that would have sucked."

"Yeah, it would" Thirteen blurted out. She mentally smacked her head realizing that her silence had caused Cameron to think that she didn't agree. "Why are you going there anyways?"

"A friend is moving to England and our other friends are throwing her a going away party. They rented a hotel so we can all get wasted" The blonde explained with totally no hint of excitement that it made the brunette feel bad for Cameron. She was too nice of a person to actually resist doing her social responsibilities like meeting up with friends. _I've given up on those things long ago_. Thirteen thought.

"Sounds fun" Thirteen lied.

"Shut up, you know it's not!" Cameron exclaimed, causing Thirteen to laugh.

"Sorry" the brunette finally responded, still giggling. She glanced at her watch again and saw that it was past 1 o'clock in the morning. "Why are you still awake by the way?"

"I don't know actually. I'm guessing that since I've grown used to having a crazy schedule, being on a normal schedule messes me up pretty bad." Cameron explained, "How about you?"

"I'm watching a patient. I'll get off at around seven I guess." Thirteen replied.

"Oh, I couldn't remember agreeing that we have to update each other on every single detail of our lives but, it's all good, at least for now." Cameron retorted, lowering her voice an entire octave to imitate Thirteen's.

"Oh so you're gonna be that way huh?" The brunette responded mockingly. "How about we settle this like doctors. Meet me for breakfast?"

"That's quite a leap, inviting me out before dawn Dr. Hadley," Cameron answered teasingly. "But a good nice breakfast does sound nice. Hmm. How about you come here to my place, and we eat breakfast."

Thirteen's eyes widened for a moment in surprise. She wondered why the other woman would want her to go to her place instead of meeting her somewhere else. And then she figured it out…

"Wouldn't want Chase to spot you huh?" Thirteen said knowingly.

"Well yeah, that too. But actually, I haven't had a visitor since I moved into this apartment. I just thought it would be nice to have someone over." The blonde explained.

"Oh. Are you sure I deserve such an honor, considering that I'm a big fat liar?" The younger doctor answered jokingly. She made a mental note to buy something for Cameron on the way to her apartment. It was the least she could do for being invited as the lone visitor for the blond doctor's house warming party.

"Just get over here, ok wise ass?" Cameron replied, chuckling. "I'll text you my address. You don't need to bring anything, I'll cook for us."

"I must say, this is the first time I've ever been invited to breakfast by someone I did not just had sex with" Thirteen shared. She felt a little nervous after saying it, worried that it might tick the older doctor. "And the first time that I will actually come, actually"

"Haha! I'll consider that a compliment, Dr. Hadley." The blond quipped. "Now get back to watching you patient before House senses all the way from his apartment that you're on the phone."

Thirteen suddenly remembered that she hadn't told Cameron about the fact that House knows she hadn't left New Jersey. The thought whether it was a good idea to tell her about it, but then thought that the blond might have already expected that anyway. "Fine. See you later, Cameron."

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**I am actually nervous, because the last chapter got good feedback and this might turn out like a disappointment because it isn't as good as the previous one. Anyway, I promise to do better next time. Happy Holidays! :)  
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	8. You Can Just Be Here With Me

**Anonymousow – their banter is really fun to write! there'll be more of that **

**ilive4jeanz – thank you! I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!**

**EvaH2Os – yeah. I want to be careful in making that transition from the friends to the more-than-friends part :p**

**Kiavrei – at first I was planning for them to meet instead of it being just a phone call. I'm glad you like it**

**A. Rod's boo – thank you! I hope you had fun reading**

**Amazon Life – it's like this fic has a life of its own! Only now do I understand what you guys go through in writing your stories. You guys are great.**

**Less than 13 – I'll try to tie more knots if you want (and if I can :p)**

**WParker13 – here's breakfast for ya!**

**Thank you all for the reviews **** I hope everyone had a good time celebrating Christmas. **

**Anyway, here's the next chapter. Like what I told ilive4jeanz, I hope this chapter meets all your expectations. If it doesn't, let me know. Constructive criticisms are welcomed too**

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Thirteen walked through the hallway with a paper bag in hand, glancing at the numbers on each door as she passes by them. It was a nice apartment complex; quite new and had a hint of modern style in it. She imagined that the rent was probably higher than what she pays for her own apartment. Her keys dangled from the belt clip at the side of her pants as she walked.

She stops when she finds the door she's been looking for. She checks herself briefly, lets out a large breath, and then knocks at the door.

"Good morning, Dr. Hadley" The blond greeted as she opened the door. She was barefoot, wearing a pink tank top and white pajamas, and her hair was what Thirteen could only describe as a perfect mess. "Please, come in"

The brunette could only smile as she walked into Cameron's apartment. The place was just like how she had imagined it: clean, and full of light colors. The furniture was simple, and the ambience very welcoming. There were a few items that were obviously just tossed carelessly some time in the past, like medical journals and envelopes, but everything looked like it was right where it belonged.

_Just what I thought, another perfect mess_, the brunette said to herself. She looked around for a few seconds before turning and looking back at Cameron, who had just closed the door and was grinning at her, as if asking for affirmation.

"It's very… you" the brunette commented. She continued walking, and went towards a side table to look at the angel ornaments on top of it.

"Very me? I'd ask what that means but I'm too afraid to know" Cameron answered, making her way towards a doorway that seems to head to the kitchen. She leaned on the doorway and watched the brunette with a side smile on her face.

Thirteen sneered at the blond and continued looking at the ornaments. She then suddenly had a flashback of how annoying it was to watch House walk around her own apartment and tinker with stuff. She stopped at what she was doing and walked casually towards Cameron instead. She held up the paper bag she was holding towards the blond. "This is for you."

Cameron reached for the paper bag with both hands and then tried to peer into its contents. "What's this?" she said. She walked past Thirteen and sat on the couch, her eyes glued to the bag's opening. Thirteen followed suit and simply smiled as the blond set the paper bag on the center table.

"When I was in Thailand" Thirteen explained, as Cameron took out the contents of the bag one by one. The contents were weird human sculptures made of stone. "I saw this store that sold small statues. The statues were meant to be bought in groups of seven, and putting them together in a certain arrangement creates a figure that supposedly signifies bond."

The blond took quick glances at Thirteen as she explained, meanwhile trying to arrange the small statues the way they seemed to fit. The arrangements she ended up with never did seem to make sense, so she finally gave up. She leaned back and looked at her assumed arrangement, and then gazed back at the brunette who was at that moment watching her. "So how should I arrange these guys?"

Thirteen smiled at her briefly and then started arranging the pieces. The blond leaned forward and watched the brunette arrange the little statues together. The sudden absence of distance between them caused the brunette to tense, but she brushed the feeling off and concentrated on arranging the ornament she brought.

Marvel was evident in Cameron's eyes when she saw that the little statues were soon all entwined by the arms in a beautiful embrace. "Wow. That's cool. Thank you for this!"

"Yeah. You can give the other pieces to your friends and stuff. Of course the statues would just look plain weird on their own, but I guess that's the point of it: you won't make sense alone, you need friends." Thirteen quipped, leaning back a bit to distance herself a bit. "I think its crap. I don't even know why I bought the whole set. I can't even think of six other people to give the other pieces to."

Cameron narrowed her eyes at the brunette, her hands feeling their way through the figure. "So to whom did you give the pieces from your set? Did you give them out to your one-night-stands as parting gifts?"

Thirteen rolled her eyes as she smirked. "No, I just bought one set and gave the whole thing to a blond doctor who used to work in the same hospital I work in"

Cameron's look turned from playful to concerned in 2 seconds flat. She shifted herself on the couch so she was facing Thirteen. "I thought you had your own set. I don't want this."

"What do you mean you don't want it?" The younger woman asked. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her arms were crossed. Cameron thought she looked like a child.

"I mean I can't accept all of the pieces," the blond continued, looking into the brunette's eyes. "Based from what you said, giving this to someone was meant to signify something. I don't want the fact that you gave this to me to be just an empty gesture."

Cameron paused, waiting if the brunette would react. Seeing that a raised eyebrow was all she got, she continued. "How about this, I take three, and you take four. Sure, there is only two of us to share this, but we're sort of friends, so it still follows the rules, right?"

Thirteen leaned further into the couch and tilted her head back, but never set her eyes on anything else but the blond. She thought about what House had said, about Cameron trying to be friends with her just to prove that she can be friends with anyone. She wondered if it was true. "I'll think about it"

A small smile formed on the blond's face. She placed her hand on Thirteen's lap briefly as she stood up. "Think about it while we eat breakfast." She walked in front of the brunette and made her way to the kitchen.

Thirteen was electrified by the sudden touch that she was unable to move for a few seconds. Cameron's hand lingered on her thigh, and she stared at it intently. _God why must straight women be so casually touchy!_

"Come on!" Cameron called from the other room. Thirteen was brought out of her thoughts by the aroma that was quickly filling the apartment. It smelled like bacon and pancakes.

"That smells good" Thirteen said as she slowly walked into the kitchen. Cameron was holding plates with both hands and was walking to the other side of the room, which the brunette quickly realized was the dining area. Thirteen walked towards the table, pulled a seat for Cameron and herself, and then took a seat.

Cameron placed one of the plates in front of Thirteen and sat on her own chair, pulling her legs up so she's sitting on them. "How is your patient?"

She was pouring orange juice into her glass when she glanced at Thirteen, waiting for an answer. However, she noticed that the brunette hadn't moved a muscle, and was looking at her amusingly. "What?" Cameron asked.

"Nothing." Thirteen answered, cutting a piece of the pancake on her plate and putting it in her mouth. "You just seem so used to this." Her voice was a little muffled as she chewed her food.

"I guess I am. Why, didn't you and Foreman ever do something like this?" the older woman asked. Thirteen instantly lowered her head and stared at her food, like she didn't hear the blond ask a question. It didn't go unnoticed by Cameron, who decided to take a hint. "Sorry."

"It's ok" Thirteen answered, looking up to meet Cameron's eyes. "And no, we didn't. He was usually gone by the time I woke up, and I'm not really a morning person."

Cameron simply sighed to acknowledge the brunette's answer, and continued forking her way through her food.

"Why did you invite me for coffee when we bumped into each other at the restaurant?" Thirteen asked, trying to stay casual.

"Well," the blond started, pausing to chew on the food in her mouth. "I believe I already told you that when I gave you my card, remember?" she said slowly.

"I know but, what's the _real_ reason?" the brunette responded.

"I guess you're as cynical as I thought" Cameron answered coolly, taking her glass and drinking some juice. "I had a motive but it wasn't a sinister or even an ulterior one. I was very straight forward about it, even. I want us to be friends."

"Why?" Thirteen asked, taking her own glass and drinking from it as well.

"Why, what? Look, I just thought it would be nice to know you. You seem like you'd be a good friend; you're like House, but unlike him when and where it counts."

Cameron flashed Thirteen a smile and then put one of her feet down to stand up. She placed her left hand on Thirteen's shoulder for support as she turned, the contact causing the brunette to tense up again. _Man I should quit feeling sexually charged when she touches me!_

The blond walked over to the kitchen, leaving the brunette to her thoughts. She had regained composure after being surprised by Cameron's hand on her shoulder, and was now pondering on what the older doctor had just said.

"Sorry, it's just that people are asking for things, and I don't like that." The brunette finally responded, looking at Cameron who had taken some bananas from the fridge. "They think that knowing things is what builds a connection between people. I think it helps build one, but shouldn't be made solely based on it. People could still make a connection before or without digging through each other's trash."

The brunette sat back on her chair and took a tiny bite of the banana. "I haven't been and won't be asking you to share things. You can just be here. You can tell me what you want and not tell me what you don't want. No pressure, remember?"

The brunette smiled as if the blond's answer was exactly what she wanted to hear; only because it was. She felt grateful that Cameron made it clear that there wouldn't be a need for them to disclose details of their lives. All her sessions with Caroline had made her realize that she should learn to let people pass through her defensive wall, and she was still in the process of learning how to do so; the least she needed at this point was someone rushing to get through it.

Soon enough both women were finished with their meal, and Cameron proceeded to clearing the table. Thirteen tried to help, but was only scolded playfully by the older woman. "Leave those plates alone and go sit on the couch"

The brunette walked into living room and sat on the couch. She saw the statues she had just arranged, and then at the blond washing dishes in the kitchen. She found the whole scenario very surreal. _This almost looks like—_

"Would you like some coffee? I have decaf!" Cameron said from the kitchen, drying her hands with a paper towel. She walked towards the living room, stopping by the door way she had leaned in before.

"No, I think I need to sleep. I have to go back to the hospital later." Thirteen answered. She leaned sideways and laid into the couch.

"Well you better take a nap before you leave." Cameron stated, walking towards her bedroom. "Driving while sleep-deprived is more dangerous than driving drunk you know."

She came back a minute later with a pillow and a blanket, only to find Thirteen already asleep on the couch. The older doctor smiled, as she watched the brunette sleep. She placed the blanket over Thirteen, covering her up to her shoulders. "Sweet dreams Dr. Hadley" she murmured.

Cameron headed back to her bedroom and got her towel to take a shower. As she was drying herself off after, the sound of her door closing reached her ears. With only a towel draped across her body, she slowly walked out of the bathroom and out of her bedroom, to see what had caused the sound. As she did she caught a glimpse of the couch, only to find it empty. Thirteen had left.

She walked towards the couch and sat, not minding the water droplets that had began to fall from her hair onto the blanket, which Thirteen had properly folded. She set her eyes on the table, and what she saw made her smile:

_Sorry. Couldn't wait._

_Best. Breakfast. Ever. - 13_

As she read the note, she caught sight of the statues on the table, and was again glad at what she saw. There were only three of the statues left.

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**Longest chapter so far. Whew!**

**Have you ever had a crush that had the ability to paralyze you for a few seconds whenever they touched you? I've had. LOL.**

**To be honest I am not totally satisfied with how this turned out. It feels forced. I think I've hit a writer's block . Hopefully this will pass.**


	9. Disconnect

**Vanamo – Thank you! Coming from a writer that I admire, that means a lot**

**ilive4jeanz – for the record I just made the statue part up lol I don't know if there's such a thing in Thailand or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Thanks for your continuous reviews. I look forward to them every time I update =)**

**Anonymousow – yeah it's annoying, like being hit with a taser, only that you're happy about it**

**WParker13 – haha I know exactly what you mean. Hugs are the worse. It feels like my bones dissolved or something!**

**I think your reviews did the trick guys, after I read them the idea for the next chapter came right away! Thank you, as always, and I hope you enjoy this one.**

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"House, can I move my days off to Saturday and Sunday instead of Friday and Saturday?" Thirteen asked. It was the day after she had spent her morning at Cameron's apartment. She figured that since the blond had hinted being free Saturday night, they might as well go out.

Her question was only met with a curious glare from her boss. He was sitting on his chair inside his office, tuning a vintage-looking electric guitar. "Just for this week," the brunette continued, trying to avoid eye contact. She didn't want to seem like she really wanted to have the weekend off, because she knew that would likely lead to House not letting her changing the schedule.

"Why? Your strip dancing class got moved?" He asked. He placed the guitar on the stand next to him and faced Thirteen.

_Damn it,_ Thirteen thought. She had actually chosen that time to ask House to change her schedule hoping that he'd be more concentrated on the guitar rather than what she was going to say. Now his full attention was on her, and she knew that this could only mean to relentless questioning regarding the reason behind her request.

"Yeah, and you know just how passionate I am when it comes to stripping." She answered, instinctively putting on a sly grin on her face. She hoped that playing along would make House think less of her motives.

House stretched his arms and placed his entwined hands behind his head, resting on them. He rocked his chair a few times, his eyes set on the ceiling, looking as though he was trying to decide whether to grant Thirteen's request or not.

The young doctor knew better though; she was fully aware that House is simply trying to test whether she will try to bargain if he'd make it seem like he won't grant the request. She pursed her lips, raised her eyebrow ever-so-lightly at her boss, and waited for his act to end.

"Ok." House finally responded, taking the guitar again. "But only if you invite me to your recital." He began playing a song which Thirteen knew for sure was a song by ACDC.

"Yeah, sure House." Thirteen answered, turning towards the door right away to not let her boss see her grin. She was already by the door when the sound of the guitar suddenly stopped. "Thirteen!"

_You've got to be kidding me_, the brunette whispered, thinking that House had changed his mind.

However, when she turned to face her boss, the seriousness in his face told her that what he was about to say had nothing to do with their previous conversation. "Be careful with what you're doing. I've done enough damage already."

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By Saturday afternoon, Thirteen had done her errands, finished her workout, and was ready to fetch Cameron from the hotel that she and her friends had stayed in. She lay on her couch while watching TV, waiting for the older doctor to text her that it is already ok for her to come.

They had been texting rather often for the past days. Even while the blond was supposedly out with her friends, she'd send a message to the brunette once in a while, sharing how lame it was to listen to her friends whine about their shallow boyfriends. Thirteen even remembered finding herself smiling endlessly at one specific message from Cameron where she said that she regretted even coming to the hotel and just wished that she and the brunette had just hung out.

Minutes later, Thirteen was startled by her phone which was vibrating on top of the table beside the couch. She grabbed her car keys before even picking up her phone, somehow certain that the message that arrived was the one she was waiting for. And sure enough, Cameron's name flashed on the screen of her phone along with her message:

_*We're checking out now. Are you still going to pick me up? I can take a cab if it's a hassle.*_

"Cab? To where?" Thirteen exclaimed, talking to her phone as if it was Cameron. They hadn't even decided on where to go yet, which made her suggestion to take a cab kinda ridiculous. Another message from the blond doctor came through seconds after, and it made the brunette laugh out loud.

_*OK, where are we going?*_

Thirteen shook her head in amusement, and then sent her response. _*Don't know yet. Just stay there, I'm coming*_

On the way to the hotel, the brunette had found herself somewhat excited, which was something that she hadn't felt in a long time. Her relationship with Foreman was mediocre at best; everything was pre-defined and boring. But now with her newly-found friendship with Cameron, there was a lot of room for spontaneity. She wondered about where they would go and what they would end up doing, and looked forward to it. She smiled, realizing that for the first time in a very long time, she had found something that made her feel good and alive, without it involving drugs and one-night-stands.

Thirteen parked her car right across the street from the hotel and turned off the engine. She leaned to her left to better see the people coming out of the hotel door, hoping to spot Cameron among them.

There were many people passing by in front of the hotel, which made it harder for Thirteen to find the blond. She winded down her window for a better view and looked through the crowd for her expected companion.

A few moments later, she found Cameron, talking to someone that was being blocked from view by another person. Thirteen assumed that it was one of the blond's friends that she had spent time with. The older doctor was wearing a nice fit shirt, denim jeans, and sneakers, which the brunette found adorable. Thirteen smiled at the sight, creating a mental image of that moment. She was about to exit her vehicle to approach the blond when something happened that almost literally made her heart stop.

The guy blocking the person Cameron was walking to have moved, revealing that it was a guy, and more specifically, a good-looking one. The guy moved closer to Cameron and hugged her. It was evident that she hugged him back. The gesture did not really bother Thirteen much at first, but as they remained in that position, the brunette sensed that something was up.

As they slowly broke away from their embrace, the guy leaned in again and kissed Cameron on the lips.

_Oh._

Thirteen turned her eyes away from them, and instead stared at her still-empty passenger seat. She was caught off-guard.

_Is she kissing back?_

Fighting her every instinct to just look away, she turned her head to look at them again. Cameron had laid her hands on the guy's chest, their lips still touching.

_She is._

Thirteen tried to ignore the emotions that at that moment were rapidly building up inside of her, but to no avail. She felt things she knew she shouldn't feel –she felt stupid, sad, and most of all, betrayed. She closed her eyes for a while, breathing slowly, trying to wash off the shock and think of what to do next.

Opening her eyes again, she looked at the couple and saw that the guy had walked away from Cameron. She was looking at him as he slowly disappeared into the crowd, but the emotion on her face was too hard to read.

Thirteen reached for her phone on the passenger seat. Running her fingers through her hair, she cleared her throat a few times, making sure that her tone did not sound like anything that would give away the shocked state that she was in.

"Thirteen!" Cameron answered excitedly. Thirteen saw right from across the street that the blond lit up quite a bit when she answered, but she felt too pissed to appreciate. "Where are you?" the blond continued, looking around.

Thirteen winded up her window, hoping that the blond wouldn't look her way. "Yeah, about that, there's a problem." She turned towards the steering wheel right after she had said it, finding it hard to look at the blond as she lied to her.

"What's wrong? Are you OK?" Cameron asked, that distinct concerned voice clearly reaching Thirteen's ears.

"Cuddy just called and asked us to help out at the ER."

"Oh."

Thirteen closed her eyes shut, failing to stop her heart from breaking upon hearing the disappointment in Cameron's voice. _No, she doesn't deserve my sympathy! Fuck!_

"That's ok. We can always reschedule. Take care ok?" Cameron continued. Thirteen turned to look at the blond again. "Yeah, sure," she said smugly.

With that, Thirteen hung up, threw her phone back to the passenger seat, started the engine of her car and drove away.

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**Hat tip to WParker13 for the idea of putting some angst! You rock!  
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	10. Confession

**lugete – aww don't cry! *hug***

**Less than 13 – yeah let's thank WParker13!! We won't suffer for too long, that much I can tell ya. We'll all be immersed in Cadley cuteness soon enough! I love your profile pic!**

**ilive4jeanz –haha I'll try to make all this suffering worth it! If it makes you feel better, there will be less drama in the future!**

**Anonymousow – lmao! that is indeed a sad thing! you'll all get acquainted with that guy soon enough. do you really think I could leave you guys, and especially Thirteen all sad? of course not!**

**WParkerr13 – sorry if you took some heat because of the credit, but your idea really triggered the events in the previous chapter! And you're right, the best part is the making up part! Even I can't wait for that part. Although, I'm sorry to say we have to endure more awkward and tense moments after that chapter. It'll all get cute again real soon :p**

**katchel – please don't hate WParker13 lol! the idea helped a lot in shaping the plot for the story.**

**Vanamo – like what House once said, everything happens for a reason hehehe. I'm not sure about the stripper thing, maybe because it's such a wonderful thought? *wink***

**I had a couple of days off work so i was able to write the next chapter right away. Enjoy! =)  
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"It was all wrong! It shouldn't have begun in the first place! Fuuuuck!" Thirteen shouted, rushing inside Caroline's office. She ended up driving endlessly for half an hour after leaving Cameron at the hotel before she finally decided to head to her therapist.

She sensed Caroline's assistant right behind her, and figured that the younger woman was either trying to calm her down or get her out of the office--two things that she didn't want to do right now. She turned and gave the other woman a furious glare, causing the assistant to back away.

"It's ok Katie, I'll take care of her." Caroline told her assistant, standing from her chair. She walked to the sofa where Thirteen had sat, and settled herself next to the brunette. "Oh, and cancel my next appointment."

Katie nodded at Caroline, and then hesitantly looked at Thirteen. "Sorry" she mumbled, walking out of the room with her head down. The young doctor only watched on as the assistant left, too filled with her own emotions to be concerned about other people's feelings.

Eyeing the door for a split second just to make sure that it was closed, Caroline turned her gaze at the young woman next to her. Thirteen had her head down, both her hands balled up in angry fists beside her legs. She was obviously furious, and the psychologist knew that the only way to know what had caused it was to wait for Thirteen to be ready to share.

"I saw her, kissing a guy. I-I know it shouldn't be anything but..."

The brunette held her head up, but her eyes were closed shut. She was breathing heavily, trying to calm herself. Caroline rested her arm on the sofa and leaned on her hand, carefully watching the young woman.

"I felt hurt. It was stupid!" The brunette stammered, suddenly leaning back into the sofa. Letting out one big breath, she slowly unclenched her fists. She then opened her eyes, and turned slightly to meet Caroline's. "We shouldn't even be friends."

Holding her gaze for a few seconds, Caroline shifted herself on the seat, moving closer to the brunette. "Are you done?"

"Yes," Thirteen finally answered, running her fingers through her hair. She knew what was going to happen next; Caroline is going to ask her what had happened, and she'd be left to explain, no matter how long it took her. She figured it was a waste of time to stall; she was the one who came there unannounced after all.

"The reason I hadn't come around the past weeks is because I've been spending time with the blond woman we saw during dinner a few weeks ago."

Caroline tilted her head back and looked at the ceiling, trying to remember the blond. Thirteen looked at her therapist and wondered if looking up ever really works in jogging up one's memory. _For a therapist, she's kinda weird,_ the brunette thought_._

After a few seconds of watching her therapist look at the ceiling, the young doctor decided to continue her story. "We've been talking and hanging out. We were supposed to go out today, but when I came to pick her up, I saw her making out with some guy."

"So she cheated on you?" Caroline asked, looking away from the ceiling and down at the young doctor.

"No! We're not dating. We're friends." Thirteen answered, getting up from the couch and walking to Caroline's desk. She ran her finger across the edge of the desk, walking further towards the window.

"Then why are you mad?"

Thirteen let out a sigh, she turned to face Caroline. "I'm not mad at her for being with that guy." She looked down at her feet, as if about to confess a grave sin she had just committed. "I'm mad at myself for feeling bad about it."

"Remy," Caroline responded, relieved that the young woman had chosen to admit her feelings rather than close herself up again. "It's ok. You've finally connected with someone. You started getting attached, and suddenly a bomb exploded in front of you. You just don't like the fact that the first person you had chosen to connect with already has a deeper connection with someone else. You were just caught off-guard. It's ok-"

"No, it's not ok!" Thirteen answered loudly, cutting Caroline off. Surprised by her own reaction, the brunette looked down again, this time staring at her hands.

"It's not ok," she repeated, murmuring.

Caroline took some time to think whether to ask her next question or not, but she knew it had to be asked.

"You like her, don't you?"

Thirteen looked out the window and watched the people passing by on the street below. She wished Caroline hadn't asked that, but at the same time relieved to somehow get it out of her system. "It doesn't matter."

"You know it does." Caroline immediately answered. She crossed her legs, her eyes still locked at the younger doctor. "Remy, you hadn't dated anyone since Eric despite the number of people who had asked you out. Even my assistant has the hots for you for god's sake!"

"How is that relevant to this conversation?" Thirteen asked. She slowly walked back to the couch, sitting down comfortably beside Caroline.

"You've been denying yourself of making a connection with anyone, only to find one in someone who is apparently unavailable." Caroline slipped off her stilettos and put her feet on the couch.

"Don't you just love the irony," Thirteen answered, smirking. She leaned to the armrest of the couch, using her hands as her pillow.

"Do you think your connection with her is rooted on the fact that you like her?"

Not getting a response from the young doctor, Caroline glanced at Thirteen. The brunette was staring blankly into space. The older woman raised her eyebrows at Thirteen, waiting for a response.

Noticing the therapist looking at her, she turned her head towards Caroline, giving her a 'oh what the hell' look. "I think," she started. She was fidgeting, and obviously trying to fight herself from tensing up. "I think I've always been attracted to her but I didn't acknowledge that until now"

Caroline sighed, stood up, and took a glass from a table beside her desk and poured some wine into it. "Had she shown anything that could indicate that she likes you too?"

Thirteen watched Caroline drink the wine, and thought about pouring herself a glass as well. "She's been sweet, but, that's just how she is with everyone."

Finishing off her drink with one final gulp, the therapist placed down the glass on the table and poured more wine. "Those types of people should come with warning signs," she scoffed.

"Tell me about it." Thirteen stood from the couch and grabbed the bottle from Caroline. She took another glass for herself and then walked back to the couch, motioning the older woman to follow her as she went.

"So, what now?" Caroline asked, sipping a bit of wine as she sat beside the brunette. Thirteen looked at herself and her therapist; they were both lounging on a couch with wine glasses on their hands. _This is like our best therapy session ever, how ironic._

"I'll probably just lie low for a while, and hopefully she'll decide that we've drifted apart, and things will finally go back to normal."

"Normal being?"

Thirteen drank the rest of her wine and stared at the glass in fascination. She then flashed Caroline a confident grin. "Didn't you just say Katie thinks I'm hot?"

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Thirteen spent the days that followed trying to either totally ignore or lie her way out of every invitation from Cameron to spend time together. She figured it wasn't Cameron's fault that she felt bad, the woman was simply trying to make friends. The problem was with her, and not Cameron. However, she decided that she'd avoid the other woman until she can get over her issues, just to be safe.

Avoiding was not particularly hard; especially that they've been really busy keeping their patient alive all week. She knew, however, that the only way to convince her ex-colleague that they are simply drifting away was to slowly lessen their interactions, rather than just ending it all of a sudden.

She decided that they should meet one last time, to at least to confirm to Cameron that there is nothing wrong between them, and also to put her 'drifting away' plan into action. As she walked her way to the hospital exit that Thursday afternoon, she rummaged through her bag for her phone, and gave the blond doctor a call.

"I was starting to think you were avoiding me, Dr. Hadley." Cameron immediately answered. The younger doctor tried to read through the other doctor's tone, gauging if she was serious about her statement or not.

"I was just giving you time to miss me, Dr. Cameron." Her answer sounded unmistakably confident; however what she was actually feeling was the exact opposite. She walked towards the door and headed to her car.

"Right," the older doctor answered, unable to keep her serious tone. "So, what's up?"

Thirteen stopped by her car and fished for her keys inside her bag. "I was thinking, would you like to meet for coffee?" She closed one of her eyes as she waited for Cameron's response, as if bracing herself.

"Well I am having coffee with a friend right now here at the Starbucks near 3rd. Come on over, I'll introduce you to her." Cameron answered. Thirteen let out a huge breath, but made sure not to make the blond notice.

"Are you sure? We can meet some other time, I don't want to interrupt." _My drifting apart plan may work after all, even without the final meet-up._

"Yes I'm sure. We'll be waiting for you!" Cameron answered. The younger doctor was about to protest but all she heard next was a beeping sound. The blond had hung up.

"Crap," the brunette muttered under her breath. She started her car and headed out of the parking lot. As she drove to where Cameron was at, she mentally oriented herself on how she should act towards the blond, and made sure that her actions all sent the same message: getting distant.

Little did she know, that her decision to go and join Cameron and her friend for coffee would change everything.

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**.Dum** =)

**I'm currently deciding on whether Caroline's assistant should have bigger role in this story or not. Any thoughts?**

**Happy New Year everyone!**


	11. Three's A Crowd

Thank you very much for your inputs re: Katie. I have postponed her possible role in this story **at least for now**, and instead introduced a new character. It fit better when I wrote it. I hope it is ok. Please tell me if you're getting sick of having new characters lol.

**Amazon Life – We've got to leave it to Remy to choose a kickass counselor lol. And I would like to say sorry for that cliffhanger, as well as for future ones. :p Re: silly 4am reviews? They're fine! That probably serves me right for writing silly dramatic chapters at 4am as well :p**

**WParker13 – I know right! Usually the friends are the ones who become the shock absorbers in times like that. Well for 13 it was Caroline, but they are friends too anyway. Oh, and how I wish Remy heard you say that! But then if she did we wouldn't have this slightly intense chapter, so I'm also glad she didn't :p I think I know what you mean about Katie, and I will keep that in mind!**

**Destroyer of Cities – hi! yes, we are all suckers for conflicts aren't we? I'll take note of that! Thanks for the review!**

**Less than 13 – wow! You know what, making Katie the friend at the coffee shop did cross my mind, but it was hard to place as a simple coincidence. I hope you'll be glad with what I did for this one tho**

**Shananigan – thank you very much for the review! I have a thing for banter so, if that's what you want, you've come to the right place **

**Twampy – thanks! She'll probably be causing issues without wanting to! I'm seriously considering the Is-Cameron-Jealous meter so stay tuned! :P**

**ilive4jeanz – please don't die after you read this lol! **

**Lugete – you're in for a treat because jealousy will be a major catalyst for this! Consider that a spoiler :p**

**Vanamo – haha that would have been weird if he was a tranny! About Caroline being your therapist, I think it's just like what Thirteen said to Chase: But really we all want the same thing: love, forgiveness... chocolate. :p and also, yes Katie is cute, and not a bitch **

**Anonymousow – the eventual Camteen has been made a nonnegotiable requirement in this and all my future fanfics! =) **

**Last note: Just picture Sam as Megan Fox lol. I did. **

**Enjoy!  
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"Hey Sam, someone I used to work with is coming, is that ok?" Cameron asked, putting down her phone on the table.

"Huh?" The other woman answered, putting down the magazine she was reading and looking curiously at the blond. Sam was several years younger than Cameron. She had jet black hair that was constantly an organized chaos, green seductive eyes that could take anyone's heart, and full lips that could give Angelina Jolie a run for her money. "Work as in Princeton work? I thought you hated the people there?"

Cameron played with the sleeve of her coffee cup, not really willing to further discuss the details of her departure from the hospital. "I did not hate the people there." She looked up at Sam, who had basically said 'oh come on' with just the doubting look on her face. "Well, at least not this one."

"Whatever," the young woman answered, raising up the magazine towards herself to continue reading. Cameron watched her companion and wondered why she invited her there in the first place. She and Sam weren't especially close; they ended up as roommates in college after Cameron's previous room mate, who was Sam's older sister, had to transfer to another dorm, but that was pretty much it. They did not have a single thing in common; Cameron was a behaved achiever, while Sam was a party animal. She finally dismissed her own action as her attempt to test if she'd have a similar connection with Sam as with someone else she thought she didn't have anything in common with.

_Speaking of party animals,_ Cameron thought, catching a glimpse of Thirteen parking her car outside.

"Wait, is your friend a guy or a gal?" Sam asked, putting down the magazine and taking her purse to get a mirror. The question startled Cameron and made the blond realize that she had been staring at Thirteen since first seeing her outside.

"Uhh, kind of both?" Cameron answered, almost unconsciously as she watched the brunette doctor approach the door outside. "Shut up Sam here she comes"

Sam placed back her mirror in her purse and then turned to Cameron with a bewildered look on her face. "What the heck is with you Ali?" She looked at the direction where the blond was looking at and instantly forgot that she asked a question. "Oh."

Thirteen approached the two women as excited-but-tired-looking as she could. She flashed Cameron a weary smile before pulling back her chair and sitting on it. "Hi."

She looked at the other girl at the table and was met with a familiar sight. _She looks kinda fami-_

"Oh my god! Thirteen?" Sam exclaimed. Cameron's jaw dropped while Thirteen simply bugged out. "I'm Sam, we met a couple months ago! At Taboo? Remember?" She leaned forward and touched Thirteen's hand as she asked, as if begging for a reaction from the currently passive doctor.

The brunette doctor felt uncomfortable with the gesture, and internally argued with herself whether she felt as so because she didn't like it in general, or because Cameron was there to see it. _Well she didn't seem to feel uncomfortable when she was sucking that dirt bag's face in front of everyone_, she finally concluded.

She actually couldn't recognize the woman before her, as she does not really take the time to recognize peoples' faces in gay bars, but figured it would be better to just play along. "Yeah, I think I remember you. Do you still go there?"

"Well not as often ever since you started not coming." Sam answered flirtatiously. Cameron suddenly felt like she wanted to strangle Sam for reasons that she could identify, and some others that she couldn't. She wringed her arms as she turned to Thirteen, waiting for her response to her friend's rather bold statement.

As if on queue, Sam's phone started ringing before Thirteen had the chance to respond. The ringing prompted apologizing, relieved, and fake smiles from Sam, Thirteen and Cameron respectively. "Sorry girls, I just have to take this," Sam said, slowly standing up. She smiled playfully at Thirteen one more time before walking off to a more private area.

Thirteen and Cameron watched Sam walk away, unaware that they both were relieved because of the young woman's exit. Certain was Sam was out of sight and earshot, Cameron turned to the brunette beside her with an embarrassed look on her face. "Please tell me you did not hook up with her! She's my friend's younger sister!" She placed her elbows on the table and rested her head on her hands. "I knew I shouldn't have asked her to hang out. She's a sucky companion anyway"

The brunette tried to stop herself from laughing at Cameron's rambling to keep her unreceptive vibe a constant but she couldn't help it. "Haha! No, don't worry," she answered, assuring the blond. She took a quick glance at Sam's direction and then turned to Cameron with a sly grin "But with the way she's looking, I just might."

Cameron's eyes grew wide and then lightly slapped her arm. "Don't you dare!"

The brunette simply smiled at the older woman, fighting every urge to engage with the blond any more than she already had. _You came here to walk away, Remy. Not to seek revenge and make her jealous._

However she couldn't help but notice how Cameron's hand coming in contact with her arm felt multiple times more thrilling than when Sam's did earlier. She looked at the spot where Cameron had touched her and looked up to meet the blond's eyes. Their eye contact spoke multitudes of thoughts and feelings, none of which Thirteen could comprehend.

They weree suddenly interrupted by Sam who had gone back to the table in haste. "I have to go, my manicure appointment got moved. Sorry Thirteen!" She announced, looking only at the brunette. "Oh, and sorry Ali," she continued, tapping Cameron on the shoulder. She grabbed her purse and took out a card, handing it to Thirteen. "Please call me."

Both Thirteen and Cameron simply stared at Sam's hand for a few seconds before the brunette finally decided to take it. "Yeah I will."

Sam then ran off to the door, her heels making a clanking sound as she went. Thirteen followed her with her eyes, a smirk slowly forming on her face.

"You're not seriously going to call her, are you?" Cameron asked, looking at the card in Thirteen's hand. The brunette watched Sam for a few seconds more, before turning her eyes on her now sole companion. "I don't know."

Cameron felt disappointed with the brunette's ambiguous answer. Furthermore, she also felt something that she did not see coming: jealousy.

"Thirteen, Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," the woman answered smugly.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

_Aw shit. _ "I'm not!"

"I'm not stupid, Thirteen. I know when I'm being ditched."

_I'm avoiding you because I saw you making out with some guy and I'm jealous! _"Look I'm sorry. I've just been really busy."

"You've always been busy." Cameron's response sounded like she had the argument plotted in her mind. "When we hanged out before, you were busy then. But now you just won't make the time. What changed?"

Thirteen mentally smacked herself for not coming up with a backup plan. She didn't think that Cameron would give their relationship that much thought, with her having a boyfriend and all.

The idea of telling the truth came to her mind. It would make cutting their connection off so much easier. It was a win-win situation, really. She would be able to bring out the truth, and walk away from a possibly convoluted situation before it begins.

"Why does it matter Cameron?" The brunette asked, running her fingers through her hair.

Cameron looked unsurprised, and Thirteen felt the tension at their table increase dramatically. "That is so you. One step forward, two steps back. Maybe you and Sam should really be with one another. You're both unable and unwilling to have real relationships with people" The blond then stood up and walked straight towards the door.

If Thirteen hadn't known better, she'd say they were having a lovers' quarrel. She couldn't get her head around the fact that Cameron didn't seem willing to let her go walk away easily. _Doesn't she have a boyfriend she can pester?_

Trying not to scream, Thirteen clenches her fists and then follows Cameron out of the coffee shop and into the parking lot. "Why is this being a big deal?" She shouted, trying to walk faster to get to the blond.

Cameron stopped in her tracks, which caused the brunette to do so as well. She turned back and faced Thirteen, her elegant face calm and almost emotionless. "It matters because I thought we were finally actually friends."

"I get that." The brunette responded, unclenching her fists and putting her hands in her the back pockets of her pants. "But I doubt you question your other friends when you don't get meet them for a while, right."

Cameron's appearance softened for a little bit, which to the brunette's surprised, relieved her a lot.

"I'm sorry if I was unreasonable." The blond explained. She then turned slightly to her left, where her car apparently was, and finally glanced at Thirteen. "I just missed you, that's all."

_I see you making out with some douche and now I'm the bad guy?_ The brunette got so troubled by what she had heard, that everything that had happened in the past weeks came rushing back to her, bringing along with it her emotions from seeing Cameron at the hotel.

"I find it that hard to believe that my absence would even remotely bother you especially when I know you've got a new guy to keep you company!" she shouted, walking towards the blond.

The statement caused Cameron to stop in her tracks and face the Thirteen. "What are you talking about?"

The brunette, who was now a few steps away from her, smirked mockingly. "The one you were making out with last Saturday."

Cameron stood in awe for a few seconds, and then calm face went red with anger. "That is none of your business!" She yelled, turning away and opening the door of her car.

Thirteen ran towards the blond and closed the car door before Cameron could even get in. "It became my business when it became the reason why I've been trying to get away from you."

The silence that followed was almost unbearable. "What do you mean?" Cameron finally choked out.

Sliding her arm across the blond's arm and stopping as she reached her hand, the brunette let out a large breath and looked at Cameron in the eye. "I mean I like you."

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**OK please don't kill me. Like conflicts, I also have a thing for cliffhangers lol. I find myself getting really excited to write the next chapter when the previous one was a cliffhanger, so there you go.**

**Do you still want Katie in on this? Or is Sam our girl-of-choice? They're basically opposites of one another (except the being pretty part, because they're both that), so you pretty much have an idea of what Katie is like. There's room for both of them actually, so if you want them both in it's ok!**


	12. This is life

**EvaH2Os – thanks! I find the OCs challenging because they're made from scratch, unlike the other characters.  
Shananigan – I think I left you hanging for a while here. sorry. I hope you find this a great follow up to the cliffhanger!  
Anonymousow – waaah I hope you're still alive, because this chapter will make up for all the drama!  
Smudje – your comment made me laugh! Sorry, I just found it logical to cut it there, to make you people crave for more :p  
Imcravingforyou – I hate them too sometimes, but building up anticipation is good too right? :p  
tortured2 – this chapter very much agrees to what you just said!  
setyourselfonfire – I'm sorry but, if by any chance things don't work out between thirteen and Cameron, Thirteen will be mine lol!  
Less than 13 – thanks for not dreaming of killing me! Lol it was just easy to imagine Sam being Megan, esp. that she has the hots for Olivia :p  
Sadly up to now I haven't decided on the Katie thing. Maybe soon. Thanks for trusting me on this!  
ilive4jeanz – thanks for understanding me re: Sam. I just felt like we needed a playful character to stir them up.  
Greeenraiin – this chapter will answer some of your questions, and will take us off that ridiculous cliff lol! Enjoy!  
Clickclaire – hi clickclaire! Welcome to my story lol! I'm very happy you're enjoying it.  
Shelby-WakingTheDemon – thanks! Hahaha I think Sam was very much unaware of the thing going on between 13 and Cameron :p or maybe she was doing it on purpose lol. I'm not sure, I don't know the Sam character that much yet!**

I know I say this a lot, but I just want to stress that I am really thankful for all of you who read and enjoy this story. Sorry if I wasn't able to update sooner. I tried, but work kinda ate me up. Please do know that I appreciate every single review you post  
Anyway, enough with the babbling, here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

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The anger in Cameron's face disappeared within seconds, as she stared into the eyes of the woman before her. She looked down at her hand being held delicately by the brunette. "I don't know what to say," she murmured. She pursed her lips as she looked up and gazed at Thirteen again, her eyes full of confusion and sadness.

Thirteen slowly leaned back into the car parked beside Cameron's, letting go of the blond's hand in the process. She looked around the almost empty parking lot they were in and then ran her fingers through her hair as she returned her eyes towards Cameron. "Come on, Cameron," she said with a smirk. "What did you really expect to happen?"

The blond looked down at hand again. "I did not expect anything," she said sadly.

Thirteen watched Cameron almost helplessly. She felt guilty for putting the blond in that position. She walked closer and placed her hands on the blond's shoulders, causing the woman to look up at the brunette. "Well right now neither do I."

"I know you're familiar with the things I've done." She continued, making sure to look directly into the blue eyes of the woman before her. "They were reckless and stupid, but never did those things include taking another guy's girl."

Thirteen inched even more closer to the blond, the proximity causing them both to resort to rapid sharp breaths. She closed her eyes, trying to take in as much as she can from that moment, and gently kissed Cameron's cheek before slowly whispering in her ear. "Good bye Dr. Cameron"

Panic was evident on Cameron's face as Thirteen slowly pulled away and began walking away from her. Her mind told her to pull the brunette back close to her, but her body ruled against it. She was confused and overwhelmed, but the only thing she found certain was that she didn't want Thirteen to walk away.

Thirteen, on the other hand, was in distraught more and more with every step she took. She placed her hands inside her pockets. Both had returned to being curled up fists as she desperately stopped herself from running back and kissing the other woman.

"He's not my boyfriend."

The statement sounded more like sobs than words. But despite its unclarity, it managed to almost completely obliterate Thirteen's every attempt to block out Cameron from her thoughts at that moment.

Stopping in her tracks, the brunette took out one of her hands from her pockets and ran her fingers through her hair, her back still turned towards the blond.

"Don't do that." She muttered. She found comfort in hearing her own voice; the silence was brutally filling her head with thoughts.

"Don't say that just to keep my hopes up." She continued, turning slowly to face the blond. "And don't say you feel the same way I do. Because if you did," she paused and shook her head slightly, as if mourning a great loss. "If you felt anything even at least similar to how I feel about you now, you wouldn't have done what I saw you doing with that guy"

Seeing that the brunette had turned and continued to walk away again, Cameron gathered all the strength she could muster at that moment to let her plea be heard. "It's not what you think!" she shouted, taking a few steps forward, as if to make herself be more heard.

_Yeah, right_, Thirteen thought, refusing to stop despite the blond's answer. She crossed her arms and scanned through the parking lot to find her car as she tried to quicken her pace.

"Please let me explain! You've said your piece, you deserve to hear mine." Cameron called out again.

This time it managed to stop the brunette. She tilted her head back, as if easing it from some tense pain. "There is nothing to discuss Cameron."

Seeing the brunette standing in the middle of the parking lot, Cameron ran towards the woman and stopped right in front of her. "Please," she begged, struggling to decide whether to touch Thirteen or not. "I've hurt you. I owe you the truth at the very least."

Finally tilting her head down to face the blond, Thirteen tried weighing her options. She knew in her heart that she needed to hear what Cameron had to say, but her cynical part of her said that it would probably just be all excuses.

"Just make it quick."

Cameron gave her a weak smile, which then immediately disappeared as she began to explain. "After my first husband died, I ended up falling in love with his best friend. We were together for a few months, and then broke up. We were not able to stand the guilt of having a relationship right after my husband died."

Hearing Cameron pause, curiosity immediately began building up inside Thirteen's head. "Ok how is that relevant?" She asked.

"The friend I told you we were throwing the going away party for, she's moving to England with her fiancé to get married there and start a family. Her fiancé is my late husband's best friend."

_If this is her idea of making me feel better, then she's sure failing at it, _Thirteen thought, not seeing the point in all that Cameron was saying. "So you're saying that you made out with your ex, who is now friend's fiancé. Why do I need to know that?"

Cameron grew worried that Thirteen was getting frustrated with her long winding explanation. However she was also relieved that the brunette seemed to be listening and was actually responding to her, and not just merely tuning her out.

"I'm saying that what you saw was us saying good bye and nothing more."

The brunette found no point in filtering her thoughts now. "Are you done ridding yourself of guilt? Because if so I'd like to go now"

"I didn't do it for that. I enjoy being with you, I do not want us to separate like this," Cameron responded, her eyes looked very worried.

"Good bye Cameron." The younger woman answered. She sidestepped just enough to avoid coming in contact with the blond, and went on her way again. She made a note on her head to look for a new bar to crash in as soon as she'd left.

"I like you!" She heard the blond shout out. Thirteen figured it was a desperate attempt to make her stay, and not a sudden confession. She kept walking towards her car and tried to ignore the sound footsteps beginning to come up right behind her.

The blond was able to keep up to Thirteen right when she was about to get in her car, and soon the two women were in the very same position they were in earlier, only that it was Cameron to stop the younger doctor from getting in her vehicle.

"The first couple of times that we talked," Cameron started. She was slightly panting from running, and it made her talk slower than she usually does. "At the restaurant and at the coffee shop, I thought I liked talking to you because you reminded me of my life in Princeton Plainsboro. I thought I was refusing to admit that I miss my old life, so I was channeling all those emotions towards you."

Cameron then stepped closer towards Thirteen, holding her hand the same way the younger doctor did minutes before. "But when we stopped talking and seeing each other, I didn't miss the hospital, I didn't even miss Chase,"

Thirteen looked into Cameron's eyes and fearfully searched for any hint of deception. The older woman was confidently returning the gaze, and it resolved any doubt the brunette had about what the older woman had just said.

"I just missed you." Cameron finally stated.

A tiny smile followed her words, which made it impossible for Thirteen not to do the same. "Now if you had started everything by saying you like me too, that would've saved us the whole drama," the brunette answered light-heartedly, pulling the blond into an embrace.

"That wouldn't have been as much fun!" Cameron giggled, her voice a little muzzled as she buried herself in Thirteen's shoulder, trying to take in her smell. The blond felt very much secured and at ease as she was in the younger woman's arms, and it surprised her quite a bit; she have never had an attraction stronger than this, and she never thought it would be this wonderful.

Both women pulled away from their embrace a few seconds later, and just stood there smiling sweetly at each other. No words needed to be said, and nothing needed to be done.

Finally, Cameron's smile faltered for just a little bit, and she swallowed hard nervously before proceeding to speak. "I have to admit something though,"

Thirteen suddenly grew anxious upon hearing the blond's words, but, perfectly mastering concealing her feelings, she just smiled at the other woman and rubbed her arm lightly. "What is it?"

"I don't think I'm ready for a relationship just yet." Cameron continued. She looked at the brunette straight in the eye, worried that her confession would throw the woman off. "I just filed for divorce and, I feel that need to settle that before starting new commitments."

Thirteen gently cupped Cameron's face with both her hands and gave her an assuring smile. "It's ok, don't worry. There's no need to rush."

Without any hint or warning, Cameron placed her hands around the taller woman's waist and pulled her closer, their bodies crashing together gently. Their lips collided softly as they pulled each other closer.

It was a soft, wonderful kiss, and by then Thirteen had it certain in her mind, that that exact moment, and that woman before her, was what she had always wanted, and what she would always want for the rest of her tragically short life.

The kiss lasted for a few seconds, and ended with both women looking at each other's eyes, both filled with joy by simply being where they are and who they are with.

And then, on perfect timing as always, Thirteen's phone began ringing, the irritating sound of an alarm resonating from her pocket.

"There's no way House can screw up this moment" Thirteen smirked at the blond, taking her phone and throwing it inside her car. She then pulled Cameron beside her, and placed her arm around the smaller woman's shoulder. _This is the mothafucking life!_


	13. Commitment

**Amazon Life – now that you mentioned it, that chapter did sound like a good ending! Thanks! However, we're not done with this yet :p just a few more chapters to go though.  
ShelbyO – well knowing House, he's always getting into between relationships. He'll join in on the drama, that much I can tell ya.  
Miralinda – yeah, things don't ever just become all fun. But then, things that are worth it don't ever come easy right?  
Setyourselfonfire – haha I guess we both have to settle with enjoying the hotness that is cadley/camteen! I really wish they played with this angle when JMo was still around, it would've driven House crazy!  
Shananigan – thank you! Drama you say? All right! More drama coming up :p  
Vanamo – the kiss was just the appetizer lol! Thank you very much for liking the OCs!  
Ilive4jeanz – thank you! Did you by any chance find it too weak? I was thinking maybe they're going too slow. But if the pace is fine with you guys then it's good too!  
Less than 13 – you got me thinking about this for some time now. I can't think of anyone. Do you have suggestions?  
EvaH2Os - ! to you too! *peace sign***

After suffering from severe information overload at work, I suddenly realized I had three days off!! W00t! and what better way to spend those days than to continue this fic :p

Here's the 13th chapter. Longest one yet. Maybe because it's the 13th lol. Or maybe because of House coming back on Monday.

Anyway, here's the next one! Enjoy!!

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"Something is wrong with this picture. You were late, but you weren't hung over. You're wearing clean clothes, and you don't smell like vodka." House said questioningly as he entered the lab.

Thirteen knew he'd come around sooner or later to pester her; there'd be no other reason her boss would assign all the other members of the team to do tasks that involved moving floors. It had been a week after she and Cameron had confessed liking each other, and the brunette figured it would take at least a week for her boss to notice her aura change.

"The I'm-too-lazy-to-take-a-bath-so-I'll-pose-as-a-party-girl look went out of style," the brunette answered, taking her eyes off the microscope just for a second to watch her boss limp into the room. He grabbed a stool and placed it on the other end of the table Thirteen was working on and took a seat. "So what is this you're wearing? The 'I'm a moron' look?" he commented, eyeing the woman from head to her rear.

Thirteen turned and saw her boss looking at her ass. _Now I know how Cuddy feels like_, she thought. She raised her eyebrow at her boss and waited for him to finish objectifying her in his brain.

"Nah, that's not it." House commented, shaking his head slightly before finally looking up to see Thirteen eyeing him incredulously. "This look is more of an 'I'm doing Cameron' look," he continued, nodding to himself in satisfaction.

"I did not sleep with Cameron," the brunette calmly responded, taking off her gloves and throwing them in the trash bin.

House rose from his seat and walked towards the young doctor, daring her to try and keep herself unreadable when up close. "Oh, but you will, won't you?" he asked, bending down a little to align his eyes with Thirteen's.

The brunette met House's graze and pondered on whether to respond or not. She doubted her actual response would be relevant to the conversation, and knew that only thing her boss would observe is her body language.

Pursing her lips, Thirteen placed her hands inside her pockets and walked away from her boss. "I'll go check on the patient."

"Are you sure that you would still want her after you had slept with her?" House said, his whole demeanor changing. He had his head down, and has obviously shifted his weight on his right side, judging from how white his knuckles had turned white from holding his cane. He looked up and saw that Thirteen had ceased from leaving the room, and was now facing him with a curious look painted all over her face.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked.

"Because if not, then I suggest you end whatever you're having with her right now." The man answered.

"I won't end it," Thirteen answered, taking her hands out of her pockets and resting them on her hips. "I like her, and I will continue liking her. You know, it's unsurprising that you'd react like this. You do not want me to be happy with her because you know in your heart that you could have been happy with her, you were just too miserable to admit it." The woman turned her back at her boss and walked to the door. She opened the door and held the handle tightly as she took a final glance at House. "She's not just a conquest for me House, I know better than that."

* * *

"So it's like an open relationship?" Caroline asked, massaging her feet as she and Thirteen sat lazily on the couch inside her office.

Thirteen stared blankly into space, trying to think of the right words for her response. "Not exactly," she answered, "There's no relationship to be open about, we're just friends who like each other."

Caroline's eyebrows furrowed a bit at the young doctor's answer, "So you like each other, meet and talk to each other frequently, make out, but you're not actually together?"

"Haha! Yeah, that's basically it." Thirteen replied, giggling slightly at Caroline's facial reaction as she shifted herself on her seat.

"You do know that this makes you not much different from every two girls sharing a dorm room in college right?" The older woman responded, her left eyebrow slightly raised at the still smirking Thirteen.

The smirk slowly faded upon taking in Caroline's question. "I know, but she's not ready, and I can't force that. I don't think she has ever been in a relationship with a woman before; I want it to happen when we're both into it."

Caroline watched Thirteen as she spoke, a devious smile slowly forming on her face. "You're going to make her want a relationship, aren't you?"

The question was met with a grin from the younger doctor, "I just want to see if she can handle the harsh realities of a relationship without commitment," she quipped, rising from her seat and reaching towards the chocolates placed on the table before them.

Caroline's face became slightly contorted and full of disbelief. "You used to thrive on the realities of having a non-committal relationship. And now you want it?"

Thirteen swirled the piece of chocolate in her mouth, lavishing its taste. She knew what she had just said was weird, especially coming from her, but she knew it was true. "I do not just want a committed relationship," she responded, raising her eyebrows casually at Caroline. "I want a committed relationship with Cameron."

Caroline nodded approvingly at the young woman's answer, reaching to the table to get a piece of chocolate herself. Thirteen had finished hers, and was now playing with the wrapper it came in. "Speaking of competition, I noticed Katie wasn't outside. Is she OK?" The therapist threw a suspicious look at the brunette.

"I was just asking!" Thirteen exclaimed defensively. Caroline stood from her seat and walked towards her desk. "She's doing some errands for me," she answered, looking at the brunette and checking her reaction.

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Meanwhile, unknown to the brunette, Katie was actually inside her apartment searching for drugs. For several months now she had been instructed by Caroline to go to Thirteen's place every month to check if she was still using. She had never found any since she started checking, but she still insisted on going there, despite Caroline telling her that checking was no longer necessary. Katie had developed a crush on the brunette, and going there felt like she was seeing how the woman was like despite not having to spend time with her at all.

As she walked around Thirteen's place, Katie noticed that the small sculptures that were placed in a table on the living room were now missing three pieces. She had read about those sculptures, and knew that they were meant to be given to friends and loved ones. She tried to recall if she had seen the other pieces in Caroline's office, but realized that she hadn't seen them there. Thirteen had given them to someone else.

Thankful that her search had again ended up in vain, Katie took a sit on the couch and glanced at her watch. _Seven thirty seven_. Thirteen's appointment with Caroline was almost over.

The young assistant stood up and grabbed her purse that she had left on the table. She tool one final look around the apartment to check if she had left anything in disarray, and headed out the door.

As she stepped out and locked the door, she was surprised to see a blond woman standing a few steps away from her, looking at a piece of paper with a curious look on her face. The woman looked up at Katie, her blue eyes perfectly complimented by her hair color. "Excuse me miss, is this Remy Hadley's place?"

Katie's mind went blank at the mention of the young doctor's name. She figured that the blond knew Remy, she might mention to her that she saw Katie coming out of her apartment. Refusing to panic, Katie gave the woman the best smile she could muster and tried to play it cool. "Yes, and you are?"

Cameron was taken aback by the obviously younger woman's response. _Who is she?_ She asked herself. "I'm a friend, I was just passing by to leave this" Cameron answered, motioning towards the paper bag she was holding.

The blond then remembered Thirteen mentioning an appointment she had with her therapist at around that time. She remembered that it was the exact reason she decided to ask Cuddy for Thirteen's address and stop by her apartment to leave her a surprise gift.

Growing suspicious, Cameron took a step towards the door, "Is she inside?" she asked.

Katie stepped in front of her and stopped her from going any further. "No, she's not."

Cameron sensed that there was something weird going on. Ignoring the younger woman's protests, she approached the door and held the knob, only to find it locked. She carefully eyed Katie who was currently fidgeting beside her. The young woman did not seem like a threat, but Cameron knew that there was something going on that she didn't know about.

"Thirteen? It's Allison." Cameron called, as she knocked on the door. She didn't take her eyes off Katie, who was now nervously playing with the strap of her bag. Hearing no movement from inside the apartment, the blond lowered her hand and now faced the young assistant.

"I told you, she's not there." Katie said softly, her head bowed down.

Cameron let out a huge breath to compose herself. "I know because she's with her therapist. Now who are you and why are you here?" she asked, trying to be as calm as she possibly could.

Katie slowly looked up and gave Cameron a weak smile. "I'm Katie Stevenson, Dr. Caroline Morrison's assistant."

She young woman opened her purse and fished out something, which made Cameron nervous. The blond placed her hand on her pocket where her phone was, just to be ready.

Her grip on her phone was tightening incrementally as Katie looked for whatever she was looking for in her phone. Finally, Katie found what she was looking for and it turned out to be a calling card.

Cameron's death grip on her phone suddenly relaxed upon seeing what Katie had pulled out from her bag. She took her hand out of her pocket and reached for the card. It had Katie's name on it, as well as Caroline's. "You're the assistant of Thirteen's therapist?" the blond asked.

"Yes," Katie answered, "Dr. Morrison asks me to check Ms. Hadley's place once a month for drugs."

Cameron found herself quite unsurprised, which she attributed to the fact that House had asked them to do it so many times. However, she had never heard of another doctor doing the same. "That's some therapist she's got" Cameron commented, smiling at Katie to make the obviously tensed woman feel more relaxed.

"They've been friends long before Ms. Hadley started coming in for sessions, I think." Katie answered. Her tone was less tensed, but still very much shy. "That's all I know. She schedules for appointments but she doesn't have a record in our office."

Cameron thought it was typical of Thirteen to be like that. She was becoming open enough to express herself once in a while, but closed enough not to allow for those expressions to be documented.

Katie, who was not exactly a fan of social interactions, felt desperate to fill the awkward silence that had enveloped them. "I didn't find any drugs," she blurted out, causing Cameron to look at her, "In case you wanted to know."

The blond just nodded slowly, acknowledging the information she was just told. Suddenly remembering what she had come for, she hung the paper bag through its handle on the knob and smiled at Katie. "Don't worry I won't tell Ms. Hadley," She smiled internally at having to call Thirteen by her last name, and started to walk her way down the hall.

Katie however was still bound to where she stood. She felt that the woman she had just talked to was to be trusted, despite not even knowing her name. She also knew that if there was a better way of knowing about the brunette, it was through this woman.

"Wait! Miss!"

Cameron turned around to see Katie running towards her. "Can I ask you something" the redhead asked nervously.

"Well, that depends" Cameron answered, pursing her lips slightly.

"Are you Ms. Hadley's girlfriend?"

Cameron almost choked on her own spit. _Of course, this girl likes her_, she thought.

Her eyes widened slightly, which caused fear to suddenly spread all over Katie's face. She was a little surprised that Katie would ask such a question; what surprised her more, however, was that her first instinct was to say yes.

"No, I'm not."

"Do you know if she has one?"

Cameron slightly pouted, and set her eyes on the ceiling, trying to think of an answer. Technically she and Thirteen were not in a relationship, but they've been hanging out and making out more than she had ever done with her previous boyfriends. But then, to decide whether Thirteen would be perceived as single or taken by this woman was for the brunette to decide, and not her. "I don't know really. Maybe it's better if you asked her."

Katie gave her a smile, obviously relieved by Cameron's answer. The blond returned the gesture and continued walking through the hall.

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**To be completely honest I wasn't as confident about the last chapter as I am with this one. I wrote the last one while at work, so I was perpetually distracted. I hope you liked this one!**

**Thanks for the reviews! :)**


	14. Happy

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews!! I don't have enough time to write individual replies this time, but I'll make it up to you guys next time ok?**

**Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!!**

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A knock on the door brought Cameron out of her thoughts as she was busy preparing the pasta that she and Thirteen were going to have for dinner. Washing her hands quickly, she wiped her hands on a paper towel and walked her way to the door. She glanced quickly at her watch and immediately realized who her visitor was.

"So I just got home from my session with Caroline a while ago," Thirteen immediately said upon seeing Cameron opening the door. The blond recognized the leather jacket Thirteen was wearing, as it was the very same jacket she had bought and left on Thirteen's door earlier that night.

The younger doctor took a step inside and gave the blond a quick kiss, raising her hand slightly to show the older doctor a bottle of red wine. "When I saw a bag hanging from my door knob," she continued.

"Hmm." Cameron responded playfully, trying to hide a smirk as she closed the door. "What was in it?"

"It had this sexy red lingerie in it," Thirteen grinned, sitting of the armrest of the couch and facing the blond. "And a note that said, 'I want you Remy, from Sophia'"

"Really now?" Cameron responded, walking slowly towards Thirteen. She grabbed the sleeves of the brunette's jacket and pulled her closer, just enough for her lips to barely touch the younger doctor's ears when she talked.

"Tell your bimbo," she whispered, putting her hands on the brunette's arms and running them down to her hands, grabbing the bottle she was holding. Thirteen let out a soft moan, feeling Cameron's warm breath on her ear. "She better back off…"

The blond moved a little to set the bottle on the table beside the couch, and then returned to her previous position. She delicately touched Thirteen's stomach and ran her hands to both the brunette's sides right under the leather jacket. "You know why?" the blond whispered, causing Thirteen to close her eyes and lean closer to Cameron, another moan escaping from her mouth.

"Do you know why?" she asked again, sticking her tongue out a little just enough to lightly brush the skin on Thirteen's ear.

"Oh god no," the brunette murmured, her eyes still closed shut. Her arms were now grip on the sofa grew tighter by the second as she fought herself from ripping every piece of Cameron's clothing.

"I know kung fu! Hahaha!" Cameron suddenly exclaimed, pushing Thirteen right into the couch. The brunette landed softly on her butt, her face occupied by a look of defeat as she watched Cameron laughing softly in front of her.

The look was slowly replaced by a smile, as Thirteen continued to watch the woman in front of her. "That's not fair, how can you be so mean and still be as cute as a button?"

One of Cameron's arms was draped over her stomach, and she was still giggling softly in front of the brunette. She walked closer to the sofa and bent over just so her face was right in front of Thirteen's, "You should know better than joke me around," she said with a smirk, looking right into the brunette's green eyes.

In one swift motion, Thirteen grabbed Cameron by the waist and leaned back, pulling the blond towards her and into the couch. The couple ended up face to face, with Cameron on top of Thirteen.

The brunette pushed her head upward, kissing the blond lovingly. The older woman returned the kiss just as gently, perfectly knowing how Thirteen secretly loved soft slow kisses. She slowly placed her hands on either side of the brunette to put her weight on it, finally breaking the kiss.

"For the record, I've always thought you look hot in a leather jacket" Cameron said, putting her feet down to the ground and sitting down below Thirteen's feet on the couch. The brunette sat up and moved closer to the blond. "Well if I had known that, I would've worn a leather jacket over my lab coat."

Cameron just looked at her disbelievingly, to which Thirteen responded with a grin. She gave the blond a kiss on the cheek, and then stood up as she reached for the bottle of wine before her. "Thank you babe, I love it."

Seeing the brunette walking off into the kitchen reminded the blond of what she was doing before Thirteen had arrived. She stood up and followed the younger woman, and found her looking through the kitchen cabinets.

"I made pasta," the blond announced. Thirteen gave her a quick smile and then continued with her search. "I know. It smells good" she said, smiling as she finally saw what she was looking for. Holding two wine glasses, she walked towards Cameron, who now had her back turned as she transferred the pasta to a serving plate.

Thirteen set the glasses on the table as she walked past it, and continued her way towards Cameron. She stopped right behind the blond and put her arms around the older woman. "You have no idea how happy I am, Allison." She murmured, peppering the blond's neck with kisses.

Cameron couldn't help but smile, especially at how Thirteen's voice sounded as she said her name. Chase always said it as _Alisn_, which she was never really able to appreciate or forgive. She remembered the date that she and Thirteen had the week before, where they finally agreed on calling each other by their first names. She also remembered how Thirteen was hesitating endlessly when she confessed that she had always found the blond attractive.

The blond turned to face Thirteen, the sweet smile still spread across her face. "And I'll wait until you can show me."

The brunette returned the smile and gave her companion a quick peck, before turning and picking up the wine glasses she had set on the table. Cameron, on the other hand, turned to get the serving plate with the pasta on it and followed Thirteen towards the table.

Settling down, the couple sat and began having their dinner.

"So, do you want to talk about your session with Caroline?" Cameron asked, not really sure what to say.

Despite having been in a relationship with Chase for a long time, having one-on-one conversations with someone she was dating (well for this situation, kinda dating) during a meal was something she was not entirely used to. She and Chase always had dinner in restaurants or at the hospital, which were always spent with Foreman, and whenever they did at home it was always in front of the TV, while Chase watched football.

The Thirteen sensed the uncertainty in the blond's voice and decided to break the ice. "Well," she said, stopping momentarily to thoroughly chew the food in her mouth. "We talked about you mostly"

"Really now," Cameron answered, tilting her head to the side. "You had better spoken nicely of me Remy Hadley!" she said in mock anger, leaning closer towards the brunette as if taunting her.

"Geez Allison, you sound like my dad!" Remy laughed, her eyes set on the fork that she was using to twirl the pasta. She then remembered a particular time when she and Foreman were still together. He was always telling her what to do, and she'd always tell him that he sounded like her dad, only in a far less light-hearted way than she had just said it to Cameron.

About half an hour later, both women were back in the couch with the bottle of wine, making out rather more passionately than usual. Thirteen was on top of the blond, her hands were slowly caressing Cameron's sides, and she constantly reminded herself to keep them there. They had never made love, which was something Thirteen didn't mind. Sure, it always left her itching for Cameron whenever she went home from the blond's apartment, but she knew for sure that by the time it happens, it would be definitely worth the wait. She wanted it to happen when Cameron was ready.

Breaking their long kiss with a few lingering pecks, Cameron sat up a bit and pulled Thirteen closer into an embrace. The brunette leaned in and rested her head on the other woman's chest, trying to listen in for her heartbeat. She loved how the blond's heart would race when they were having their make out sessions.

"Did you really just talk about me during your session?" Cameron asked, kissing the brunette's head.

"Mmm?" The brunette responded, not being able to comprehend what Cameron had just said. She was busy listening to the woman's heartbeat and taking in her wonderful smell.

"Did you talk about me with Caroline earlier?" The blond asked again, looking down to check if Thirteen was even awake.

"Yeah. She wants to meet you." The brunette answered, sitting up. "She asked if we were free this Saturday, there's this nice restaurant one of her other clients own."

"That'd be nice." Cameron responded, leaning forward to take the wine glass of the table. She took a sip and then placed it back. "I'd love to meet her."

"There'll probably be four of us." Thirteen said passively, her hands kept busy by the loose threads hanging from Cameron's shirt.

"Oh, she'll bring a date?" Cameron answered.

"No, her assistant Katie will be there too."

"Oh."

Cameron was suddenly reminded of the events that happened earlier, and thought about telling Thirteen what had happened. Realizing that doing so would only cause problems, the blond decided it was a perfectly harmless white lie to not say anything about it.

"By the way!" Cameron suddenly said out loud. She did not intend to say it as so, and she wasn't exactly happy about what she was about to say, but she was really glad to have thought of another topic to talk about that didn't involve Katie. "Sam called, she just bought a new condo and she's inviting us for her first house party this Friday."

"Hmm.. Sam.. Hot Sam?" The brunette answered, trying to suppress a grin.

_She didn't just say that,_ Cameron thought. She raised her eyebrow at the brunette. "Are you mocking me Remy?"

"Hey, I'm just saying!" Thirteen responded, her hands flying in the air as she said it. She looked at Cameron teasingly. "You can't blame me if I appreciate, especially when I know that I can tap that"

Cameron grabbed a pillow and threw it at the brunette. "You are unbelievable! Ugh!"

Thirteen was laughing her lungs out and caught the pillow right before it was about to hit her face. _It's going to be a fun weekend coming up!_

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**Wasn't as long as the previous chapters, but this was all Camteen goodness so, I hope you guys enjoyed it =)**


	15. There She Goes

**Hi! Sorry if the last chapter came off as a little too cheesy. Apparently I don't do too well when it comes to that lol. I hope this one sits a little better **

**Less than 13 - i haven't decided regarding who Katie will be btw lol! i watched Sherlock Holmes last week and i must say, you were right about rachel mcadams. do you think she'd look great as a redhead?**

**EvaH2Os - your comment reminded me of McDonald's lol thanks!**

**ShelbyO - thank you! it's nice to know the chapter managed to melt hearts :p**

**moretwolove95 - hi! thanks for the comments! do know that the huntington's issue isn't out of all of this, and will be brought up soon :)**

**ilive4jeanz - thank you! it's been hard to imagine how a 'soft' remy would be like, considering that it had been shown so rarely in the show. it's nice to know you find it realistic.**

**Vanamo - go write write!! we all love your stories! don't we, guys? :)**

**miralinda - i'm as excited about the weekend as you guys are, and i'm sure it's gonna be a blast :)**

**Amazon Life - i'm glad you enjoyed it! thank you!**

**BTW, the title was taken from the song by The Getaway People. **

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"I think I have to go, work tomorrow." Thirteen said an hour later, taking her jacket from the table. It was past midnight, and she knew that House would grill her again if she was late for work. She stood up and turned to look at Cameron, who was still lying on the couch.

"Mmkay." The blond sat up and looked at the younger woman. Her answer sounded more like a sigh than an actual word. Thirteen narrowed her eyes at her and sat down again, placing her jacket back at the table before facing Cameron.

"I can stay if you want. You know that right?" The brunette placed her hand on Cameron's thigh, reassuring her.

The blond stared at Thirteen's hand on her lap, placed her own hand on top of it and gently rubbed the brunette's hand. "I know but, I don't know, I don't think I'm ready" she answered, leaning into the back of the couch.

"And you know I totally respect that," the brunette explained, also leaning back. "But right now it looks like you're getting tired of this routine."

"How about you? Are you not getting tired of this?"

Thirteen ran her fingers through her hair with her other hand. "It doesn't matter what I think."

Cameron leaned forward and turned sideways on the couch towards the brunette. "Do I even have to say what I think about that?"

The younger woman responded with a smug look on her face. "It doesn't matter because I said I will wait for you to be ready. And I will, even if it pains me." She placed her hands on the blond's cheek, pushing off some loose hair strands that were on her face. "But if even you are having trouble with how things are right now," she continued. "We might need to make some changes."

The blond sighed, knowing that Thirteen was perfectly right. She knew it wasn't fair to have troubles about their current situation _and_ not be ready to take the next step. But she also knew that she wanted everything to be right. She actually didn't want to date the brunette while she was still legally married, but she also knew that the divorce settlement process would take months. Despite Thirteen being sincere about waiting, Cameron knew several months would be too long. Hell, even the past couple of weeks felt too long. She needed to act, and fast.

"I'll think about things, and tell you when I figure out what I want to do, is that ok?"

Thirteen simply shrugged her shoulders contentedly and stood up. "Fair enough."

Cameron noticed that the brunette was getting ready to leave, and tried to stop her from taking a step by reaching for her hand. "Do you want to stay the night?" The brunette just gave her a side smile. "Maybe next time. I need to stop by somewhere for a drink. "

Knowing that she did owe it to the younger woman to let her have her space, Cameron let go of the brunette's hand and watched her as she took her jacket and got ready to leave.

"So I'll see you… whenever?" Thirteen asked, walking to the door.

Cameron stood up and followed her, both her hands rested casually in her pockets. "Yeah."

The brunette opened the door and stepped out a little faster than how Cameron had always remembered her doing so. "Good bye, Allison."

The gesture made the blond pause. Thirteen had never said good bye to her, ever.

"Good night Remy." The woman answered. Thirteen turned and gave her a quick flaccid smile, before walking off into the hall.

_Did I just screw things up?_ Cameron thought, as she stood by her door and watched the brunette walk through the hall.

On the other hand, Thirteen's smile was almost ear-to-ear as she made her way out of the building. _She took the bait._

"You're early." Taub greeted dryly, not taking his eyes off the newspaper he was holding. The woman glanced at her watch; it was only seven thirty, which pretty much explained why Taub was alone inside the diagnostics office.

Thirteen hung the coat she was wearing on the coat stand and then grabbed her own lab coat. She walked towards the coffee machine and looked around for a decaf coffee pack. She figured she would hit two birds with one stone: enjoy her preferred drink, and piss off House with decaf coffee.

"Do we still have some decaf coffee here?" The brunette asked, opening one of the small cabinets.

"Yes, House hid them inside the drawer." The man answered, turning the page of the newspaper. Thirteen smirked, shaking her head slightly at their boss' childish behavior.

She soon got the machine set up, and then walked back to the table, where Taub was still busy staring at the newspaper. She doubted he was actually reading.

"You do know that what you're doing will only lead to a ton of trouble,right?" Taub asked casually.

The brunette leaned forward and furrowed her eyebrows. She knew he wasn't talking about the coffee. "House can just throw away the rest of the coffee."

"She is still technically Chase's wife you know."

"Do you know how that sounds, coming from a guy who cheats on his wife?"

"My actions will not lead to a very big mess when it all blows up."

"Sorry but I forget, why aren't you a plastic surgeon anymore?"

"That went bad, I know. But back then, my boss wasn't House. That definitely makes this far worse."

That last retort made the young woman think. House had been oddly quiet about it, which was very much unlike him.

Knowing that he got the brunette thinking, the man dropped the newspaper and looked at Thirteen intently. "You two have been at ease enough that even I figured it out, which means House had figured it out a long time ago. The only question now is, when will he tell Chase?"

Thirteen leaned back and crossed her arms, her eyes set on the other side of the room. Taub was right; they had both been carefree lately. They seem to have forgotten the fact that Cameron told Chase she's in Chicago. She then figured that since House knows they're together, reminding Cameron that they need to lie low wouldn't do them any good. If House knows, it'll only be a matter of time before Chase does too.

She then started mentally scolding herself for not planning ahead on all of it. House will definitely tell Chase, and she needed to figure out when.

Taub looked like he was about to say something again, but he suddenly stopped when the door opened. Thirteen turned to see who it was, and saw that it was Chase.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Chase said to Thirteen as he took off his coat.

"Well, in a matter of speaking, she is, seeing a ghost." Taub answered, eyeing the brunette knowingly.

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Apparently House didn't have a case, so the guys ended up enjoying the latest additions to House's porn collection, while Thirteen worked on her clinic hours. She was on the nurses' station to pick up the file for her next patient when she felt her phone vibrate from her lab coat pocket.

"Hi, are you busy?" Cameron greeted. Thirteen smiled upon hearing the blond's voice, and immediately motioned to the nurse at the station that she'll be taking a break. "No, actually. We don't have a case and I'm on break from doing clinic hours. What's up?" She walked away from the clinic and towards the elevator.

"Nothing really, I was just bored. We're still on tomorrow night right?"

"Yeah, what time are you going there?"

The question obviously surprised Cameron, "Uh, whatever time you're going? I thought we were going together."

"I don't remember us deciding that," Thirteen's tone sounded confused, which confused Cameron even more. She thought it was a given that they would go together, considering that she was the one who mentioned to Thirteen about the invitation.

"What do you mean? I told you she invited us remember?"

"Yeah, I just didn't figure you meant we would go together. Sam doesn't think we're together, does she?"

Cameron was simply dumbfounded at this point. "Uh, no," she responded, stuttering slightly. "I'll see you there I guess?"

The confusion and utter disappointment in Cameron's voice was priceless. "Yeah, I guess you will." Thirteen answered, entering the doctor's lounge. She walked straight to the couch and dropped her tired body on to it. She noticed that the blond hadn't responded since she had last spoken herself. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah I'm still here." Her voice sounded almost sad, which reminded Thirteen that she should tread through these waters carefully; making Cameron sad is the last thing she'd want to do.

"What are you thinking about, Ali" The brunette glanced at her watch, she still had 5 minutes before she's needed in the clinic again.

"I think we need to talk about some things," Cameron answered. The younger woman was reminded of her conversation with Taub earlier that day.

The brunette sighed slightly. "Yeah, I think we do too," she answered. She knew they didn't probably have the same thing in mind in terms of what to talk about, but it wasn't important; the important thing was that they are going to talk.

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**Sorry if you guys expected this to be the weekend part already. I haven't figured out the situations that will roll out for those days, and I didn't want to get right to it without being sure with the ideas. It's the best or nothing **


	16. The After All

**Wednesday morning:**

_Beep._

"Remy, it's me again. I've been calling you for at least eight times now, for the love of god pick up the phone! My flight to LA is in a few hours, please, I just want to know you're alright before I go. Please Remy. Katie will come over to check on you ok? I'll try to swing by before I go to the airport if there's still time. Call me ok?_"_

_Beep._

"Hey, it's Taub. It's almost noon, where are you? We haven't seen you in days. Are you OK? We have a case. You better get here before House decides to look for you. Bye."

Lying on her stomach, brunette slowly raised her head from where it had been resting for a few hours now, and slowly tried to open her eyes. She wasn't entirely sure of where she was, but the familiar feeling of the fabric against her skin told her that she was probably on her couch. Cameron's couch would have felt just as familiar as her own, but she knew that her being there now is impossible.

She managed to open one of her eyes and was quickly overwhelmed with the sunlight that was streaming all across her living room, causing her to close her eyes shut again.

Raising her arm towards her face, she used it as a shield from the blinding light and glanced at the time display of her DVD player. It was eleven thirty.

Scanning the rest of her living room, she saw the remnants of what had been her life the past few days. Empty bottles of beer, tequila, and vodka were everywhere. Cigarette butts were scattered all across her table, despite her not remembering smoking at all.

Realizing that her eyes were now accustomed to the light, she removed her hands from her face and slowly tried to sit up. Every muscle in her body seemed to hurt, which she figured was probably due to the uncomfortable position she had managed to sleep in. Ignoring the pain, she managed to sit up and then simply stared at the mess she had made.

As her eyes roamed aimlessly through her apartment, a half-finished bottle of vodka caught her eye. Rising slowly, she leaned forward and reached for the bottle, which was on the opposite end of the table.

Grasping the bottle tightly as if it were her last piece of hope, she raised it to her mouth and drank its contents. She ignored the burning sensation the liquid had brought to her throat, and was able to finish almost half of it.

Lowering down the bottle, she leaned back into the couch again. She closed her eyes as her body began to feel warm from the alcohol. It seemed as though she was inviting the alcohol to run through her body, aching for it to disarm her of any thought and feeling.

A knock on the door disrupted her a bit, but not enough to make her move. The sound of a hand against her wooden door was followed by a woman's voice. What words the voice had said was something she did not have an idea of, as she tried to block off the sound and concentrate on how her every feeling was fading away.

The sounds soon ended and it seemed like silence had momentarily filled the entire building. The brunette smiled victoriously at the lack of sound.

However the silence was rendered only momentary by the sound of the door opening. The young woman refused to move, her exhausted body lazily sitting on the couch with her eyes closed and a bottle of vodka in hand. She figured that the person who had opened the door must have been Caroline. She had been calling endlessly that morning after all.

"Remy?"

The woman wasn't Caroline, but it was someone she knew. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, the brunette opened her eyes and saw a young woman before her.

"What are you doing here?"

Ignoring the brunette's question, Katie walked closer and sat rather hesitantly on the couch next to her. "What happened?" Her voice spoke of care as well as fear.

Looking away from the woman who was now beside her, the brunette raised the bottle to her mouth and drank the rest of its contents. The burning felt tamer now, much to her disappointment. "I'm alright. Go home Katie."

"It's obvious that you're not." Katie answered; looking at the bottles sprawled everywhere. "You might think you don't need help, but you do, and I am willing to help you."

The brunette turned towards Katie, her fist clenched tightly, as she tried to contain her own anger. "You can't help me."

"You don't know that." The red head answered, her endearing eyes looking directly into the brunette's.

Katie's eyes reminded her of Cameron, and the memory of looking through them sent her over the edge.

"I've lost her, do you understand that? I've lost Allison."

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**So this is really more of a teaser than an actual chapter lol. Which also explains why it is as short as it is.  
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**It just came into my head and it was so clear not to write. Sorry. :p**

**For those who did not get which part of the story this goes into, check above for the day when it happened.**


	17. Bad Romance

**OK this chapter took like forever to write, but mostly because it's the longest chapter I've ever written. **

**Again, thank you very much for your reviews. They're funny, inspiring, and they helped me a lot not only in terms of this fic.**

**BTW the chapter before this made me realize that it's fun to write about a miserable Thirteen. Dunno if that's a good thing. **

**Regarding the time jump, I do not know if the people from Lost own the term "flashforward" but if they do, then that was "something like a flashforward, but not a flashforward" :p**

**Seriously, you guys are the best **

**Enjoy!**

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**Friday evening:**

"This is ridiculous!" Cameron shouted, yanking off the purple tank top she was wearing and throwing it onto the bed. She was never the type to be really picky when it comes to clothes, but today it seemed like nothing inside her closet felt right to her. She decided to take a break from deciding what to wear and sat on the edge of her bed.

She didn't want to admit it, but she was nervous about coming to the party. The only reason she even agreed coming to the party was because she thought that she would have Thirteen as company.

She started thinking that most, if not all, of the women going to the party are younger than her, and most probably hotter. She also thought that that would have been totally fine with her if only Thirteen would be by her side, which soon brought up the obvious question: where is Thirteen anyway?

The blond started looking around for her phone, which she found at the other side of her bed. She reached for it and ended up lying down on her back, raising her phone in front of her face as she scrolled down her contact list to find the brunette's number.

As she scrolled she found herself rethinking about making the call. It was as clear as day that Thirteen wanted space, and calling to check if she's getting ready to go to a party they agreed to come separately to wasn't exactly giving space.

Staring at Thirteen's number on the screen of her phone, Cameron lightly threw the device beside her and covered her face with her hands. She was confused about everything more than ever, and it was something she had almost never experienced before. Men are very easy—easy to seduce, easy to read, easy to manipulate. But with Thirteen, everything was a challenge. She smiled and shook her head at the thought, fully knowing that the brunette's unpredictability was one of the things that caused her to be attracted to the younger woman in the first place.

She sat up and then leaned back, putting her weight on her elbows. She thought about the whole situation. Thirteen's actions either meant that she was simply making her feel jealous, or that she had gotten frustrated with their whole setup that she's now trying to distance herself.

The latter made more sense, but from the way she knew the brunette, if she was _indeed_ distancing herself, she'd be at a gay bar miles away from anywhere Cameron would even think she would be, rather than a couple of blocks away at a common friend's party.

Trying to come up with a plan, she pushed herself off the bed and walked towards her closet. She skimmed through her clothes and found what she was looking for: a red, hanging, low-cut blouse.

Cameron could already hear the loud music and buzzing of peoples' conversations as she made her way through the hall towards Sam's apartment. The scenario reminded her of her college days, when she would arrive at her and Sam's dorm room only to find a party going on. The guests were mostly women, all of which were fairly attractive, and very much gay. The blond knew that this one wouldn't be any different.

Knocking felt like a pathetic thing to do, but simply barging in felt more wrong. Cameron stopped right by the door and quickly checked her outfit; the red top was definitely composed of cloth far less than she'd usually wear, but was clearly the perfect choice considering the circumstances. The black skinny jeans and high heels she donned were perfectly flattering as well. Bracing herself for intimidation, she knocked on the door quite violently, hoping for someone to hear it.

Getting no response the first time, the blond decided that she would knock three times before she would go and come in by herself. It did not reach to that point however as the door opened right after the second time she knocked.

"Ally!" Sam shouted, hugging the blond. How she had managed to hear the knocking despite the noise was beyond Cameron. "We were worried you wouldn't come!"

"We?" the blond responded, thinking out loud. Sam led her in into the apartment, and a familiar sight met her eyes. The place was full of women, some dancing, all with drinks on their hands.

"Yeah!" The younger woman shouted, trying to make her voice heard despite the loud music. "Thirteen and I"

Cameron simply nodded, not really feeling like shouting and exert an effort just to show a reaction.

The blond walked further inside the apartment, looking for a familiar face. She cringed slightly as she passed in front of a large speaker placed in a corner, a song by Lady Gaga loudly coming off it. The apartment was huge, which did not surprise Cameron at all; Sam's family was rich, which was basically what gave her the right to party around during their college days.

She followed Sam into the next room and saw that the view was pretty much the same everywhere. She was starting to like the room because there were less people and the sound wasn't as loud. However something caught her eye in that particular room that bothered her, to say the least. She could not say that she did not expect such a scene, but actually seeing it bothered her nonetheless.

Thirteen was sitting on the sofa, doing body shots with a blond woman who looked like a model. Suddenly, Cameron ached to get the hell out of the place, but she felt like she was bound to where she stood. She looked at the two women intently as they laughed and downed tequila shots like water.

Sam looked at what the blond was looking at and simply grinned. "Are you going to be ok here Ally? I have to check on the other people in the other room. You can come with me if you want."

"Nah," the blond responded softly, "I'll be alright!"

Cameron watched Sam disappear into the other room, and then turned her eyes back again to the scene before her. To her surprise, just as she turned towards Thirteen and the other woman, the brunette turned towards her as well.

The brunette slightly raised her left eyebrow at Cameron and gave her a naughty grin. "Want to join us Ally?" she said flirtatiously, raising a shot glass full of tequila towards the other doctor. "This is Missy," she continued, motioning her head towards the blond beside her, who just flashed a very fake smile.

Missy did not look pleased with the invitation, and it tempted Cameron to say yes just to spite her.

Trying to take control of herself, the blond doctor took a deep breath and gathered all the confidence she could muster. She gave the two women a passive smirk, and then placed both her hands inside the back pockets of her jeans, making sure that the movement caused her top to rise up just enough to show the flesh on her hips. "Nah, you girls go ahead. You know me, I like to watch."

The brunette tried with all her might to remain stoic, but the alcohol raging through her veins caused her own body language to fail her miserably. She licked her lips seductively as she stared at Cameron's body, stopping at the part where her top ended and her pants began, and then looking up to meet her eyes again.

The irritation in Missy's face became more and more evident as she watched Thirteen drool over the woman standing before them. She tried to pull Thirteen into a kiss but the brunette pushed her away, her attention fixated on a butch walking towards Cameron with two bottles of beer.

"I sure hope you're a beer drinker," the butch said, standing very close to Cameron as she handed the bottle of beer. The blond flashed a weak smile and took the bottle; she stepped back a little, feeling a little bit uncomfortable. She glanced towards Thirteen almost out of instinct, as if trying to ask for help. Thirteen's eyes however were glued towards the butch, her jaw tightly clenched.

"That woman is such a slut" Missy hissed before starting to kiss Thirteen's neck.

The brunette held her shoulders and pushed her away and looked at her straight in the eye, "Who's the slut?"

"Duh? Kelly!" Missy answered, pertaining to the butch. "She's been flirting with everyone all night. And puh-lease, 'tame' is the more appropriate word for your friend in the red top"

Thirteen turned and saw that Kelly was currently whispering something in Cameron's ear. Her annoyance brewing, she turned towards Missy pulled her closer, "Tell me what you know about Kelly, I'll let you make out with me," she whispered.

"That's a no brainer," Missy whispered back, immediately cupping Thirteen's face with both her hands and kissing her.

Meanwhile, Kelly was still relentlessly making moves on Cameron. "There's a vacant sofa over there if you want to sit," she said putting her arm around Cameron's waist and pointing at an empty couch.

Cameron glanced back at Thirteen, only to see her making out with Missy. She looked back at Kelly and tried to contain her feelings. Trying not to tense up, she turned her back towards Thirteen and Missy and gave Kelly a quick smile. "Yeah, let's go."

Thirteen saw from the corner of her eye that Cameron had walked away with Kelly, and immediately broke the kiss. "Ok, my turn."

Missy turned to look for Kelly and saw that she and Cameron had made their way towards the other couch. "To put it simply, she's just like you," she said, craning her neck back to meet the brunette's eyes. The honesty in her voice alarmed the brunette.

_That can't be a good thing_, Thirteen thought. She glanced towards Cameron and Kelly on the couch and saw that Cameron was looking at her as well. The expression on the blond's face was almost unreadable.

The brunette was surprised when she saw that Cameron suddenly left her seat and walked away from Kelly, leaving the androgynous woman puzzled. Following Cameron with her eyes, Thirteen was so deep in thought that she had almost forgotten that she was with someone else.

"Go, damn it." Missy cried out. Thirteen shot her a surprised look, her mouth slightly open.

"You've obviously been aching to be with her the moment she came in." The woman continued, smiling mildly at the brunette. "I'm drunk, not stupid."

Thirteen returned the smile and gave Missy a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Missy almost magically produced a mirror out of nowhere and looked at herself through it. "No problem. I'll take care of Kelly."

Laughing lightly, Thirteen stood up and looked around for Cameron. The blond was nowhere in sight, which made her figure that she probably moved to another room. She walked past the couch Cameron had occupied moments before, and saw that Kelly was already walking towards Missy.

Continuing on her search, Thirteen scanned the room and failed to find the blond she was looking for. Making her way through another room, she noticed an open door where no one seemed to be entering.

The brunette walked slowly towards the room and learned that it was well-lit, unlike all the other rooms in the apartment. It was a bathroom, apparently, and she couldn't help but notice that the door was wide-open, with the knob chained to a pipe on the wall. There was also a sign on the door that said _do not close the door bitch_. She made her way inside and realized it was a very spacious bath room.

"Taking a break from sucking that model's face?"

The voice made Thirteen turned sharply to the left. The source of the sound turned out to be Cameron; she was sitting on a stool beside the tub.

"What's with the door?" The brunette asked, ignoring Cameron's remark. She walked towards the counter right across Cameron and leaned into it.

Cameron looked at the door, and then back at the brunette. "It's been like that since college. Sam doesn't like people having sex in her bathroom during parties."

"I don't think an open door would stop people from having sex in here." Thirteen responded, her eyes roaming across the room.

"You would know." The blond murmured, her aggravation very obvious.

"Yeah, I would, wouldn't I?" The brunette answered, turning towards the sink to wash her hands. "She's a friend and we were just having fun. Man, even Foreman would have understood that."

The blond's eyes widened. "Don't you dare compare me to Foreman!" she spat back, crossing her legs. She crossed her arms as well, and then looked up as if trying to ponder on something. "Hmm… you're friends, _and_ you make out. Why does that scenario remind me of something?"

Thirteen smirked at the blond's sarcasm. She finished up washing her hands and turned towards the blond, who was right across the room. "We're different."

"Are we?" the blond answered immediately, looking at Thirteen straight in the eye. "With what I saw you do out there? I don't think so."

Thirteen slid herself sideward until she was leaning on the counter. Placing her hands on the edge of the surface, she pushed herself upwards and sat on the counter. "I want us to be different but you were the one who weren't ready to be different."

Cameron uncrossed her arms and let out a large breath. "I know that you were just making a point, but did you have to look like you were having a hella good time doing it? It actually made me doubt your own scheme to convince me to have a relationship with you."

_So she knew all along and simply watched me do it,_ Thirteen thought. "I was just trying to point out how fun it would be if it were us doing everything together. I was not planning on going home with anyone else here, you know."

"Believe her Ally."

Both women turned towards the door and saw Sam standing there, leaning on the doorway. "She told me earlier that she wouldn't go home unless it was with you."

Cameron turned to look at Thirteen to confirm what Sam had just said, but the brunette's eyes were set on the floor.

"I was actually worried that you wouldn't come, because that would mean she won't leave, which means I'd have to sleep with her." Sam continued, flashing a naughty grin.

"Shut up, Sam…" The blond retorted light-heartedly, shaking her head. She turned to watch the brunette, who was still smiling at Sam's remark, but was also still staring at the bathroom floor. "…This one's mine," she continued, her voice lowering down to almost a whisper.

Sam took a swig off the beer bottle on her hand, looking alternately between Cameron and Thirteen. "Well, have your happily ever after then; just don't have sex in my bathroom!" Both women chuckled at the reminder.

"Oh, and Thirteen?"

The brunette finally took her eyes off the floor and directed it straight towards Sam, not even letting her line of sight come anywhere near the blond. "Yeah?"

"Break her heart, and I'll make sure no one from anywhere in the East Coast would want to sleep with you."

Sam had dashed off before Thirteen could even react, leaving the brunette no choice but to look at the blond who had been staring at her for a few minutes now.

"Did you mean it?" Cameron started off, rising up from her seat and walking closer to the brunette.

"Mean what?" The brunette tried not to give away any hint of what she felt, which was really just happy and slightly nervous.

"When you said you wouldn't go home unless it was with me."

Thirteen seemed to have recaptured her cool; she gave the blond a confident smile as she wrapped her arms around the older woman in one smooth motion. "That depends… did you mean it when you said that I'm yours?"

Cameron wrapped her arms around Thirteen's neck, a flirtatious grin shown on her face. "Yes. But I've got to ask first, can I have you?"

The brunette pulled the older woman closer into an embrace. She rested her head on the blond's shoulder, trying to take in her scent that she had terribly missed. "Puh-lease, I've been trying to be yours since day one,"

"Heeey! Go home! Get a room! No sex here ok?!" Sam stammered, suddenly reappearing on the doorway.

* * *

**That's it. That's the first part of the two longest chapters for this fic. I hope you guys don't think it was cheesy. I tried to lay off the cheesiness as much as I could lol.**

**I will update as soon as I can.**


	18. Welcome to the Fallout

**miralinda – the best thing about a sexy depressed Thirteen is that a loving and caring Cameron is always there to cheer her up  
Less than 13 – don't you just love that song!? actually that song was what inspired this fic lol! I was going to keep it a secret but, I can't resist you so here it goes: the hint was the part where Cameron walked past a speaker and heard a Lady Gaga song coming off of it. I just thought the part of the song where it goes "I want your love and I want your revenge, I want your love, I don' wanna be friends" was perfect for it  
ilive4jeanz – Sam is kinda quirky isn't she? I'm still thinking whether her character would reappear here, what do you think?  
momo0424 – thank you!  
SexyMuppet – hey there sexy muppet! I hope you didn't wait for too long, here's the next chap!  
ShelbyO – haha what a coincidence, I like her too! Like what I asked ilive4jeanz, do you want more of Sam?  
Anonymousow – you want more? Here's more! Just finished and not reviewed lol!  
meva desa – the 16th chapter was a time jump to the future. This chapter below takes us back to the present  
EvaH2Os – thank you! Btw I'm a fan of yours  
Twampy – Sam was Megan Fox in my mind too lol!  
Shananigan – thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this next one too!  
agajda – sorry to keep you waiting *wink*  
DidaLOL – thank you! Yeah, Sam just seemed too fun as a character to place as an antagonist, so I guess she did well as catalyst.  
Dying-Inside-Never-Out – nervous would be a valid feeling towards this, I think.  
Amazon Life – sorry if it took time to update. Blame my job lol :p  
Pink Jover – I'm sorry you lost sleep over this lol! But seriously, thanks for that smile-inducing review.  
**

**Dunno if anybody else noticed this, but Cameron and Thirteen's initial conversation that led to their friendship as well as the conversation that led to the formalization of their relationship both happened in bathrooms :p**

**I hope you like this one too!  
**

* * *

**  
Saturday morning:**

Cameron woke up lying on her side, to a sight she had never woken up to before. The unfamiliarity would've alarmed her if not for the warm feeling of the pillows around her and most especially, a smooth slender arm around her waist. She pulled the hand gently and raised it towards her face, giving it a tender kiss before placing it back to its previous position. She blinked a few times to clear up her sight, and looked at the digital clock sitting on top of a bedside table. It read 11:27 am.

The lamp beside the clock caught her eye, and she noticed a red piece of cloth that seemed to have been carelessly thrown on top of it. The blond giggled lightly when she realized what it was: her top from last night. It was at this point that she realized that she and Thirteen had fallen asleep right away earlier that morning and completely forgot to put on their clothes.

Thirteen seemed to have been awaken by Cameron's laugh. She raised her head with one eye open, and looked at the blond. "What's funny? Was I snoring?" Her voice was slightly raspy, having just woken up, and Cameron thought it made her voice even sexier, if that was even possible.

"I like what you've done with the lamp."

The brunette glanced at the lamp and grinned. "I'd take the credit, but if I remember correctly, you were the one who did that." She leaned into the blond, tightening her hug just right.

Cameron smirked, remembering the scenes from the night before. She soaked in the warm, nice feeling of Thirteen's body pressed behind her and smiled contentedly.

"By the way, no one else should ever see you wearing that top again, except me. Is that clear?" The brunette whispered flirtatiously, glancing at the blouse hanging from the lamp. "I do not want them boys drooling over my woman."

"I never took you as the jealous type," the blond responded, placing her own hand on top of the brunette's.

"Well I'm not, but, I am only arrogant when I have nothing to loose, which means that I can not be like that in this situation."

The blond was a little confused whether Thirteen's statement was a joke or not.

"What time is it?" Thirteen spoke again, gently kissing the blond's shoulder.

"Right about eleven thirty. Why?"

Thirteen immediately sat up and realized too late that she didn't have any clothes on. Gaining a both naughty and surprised look from the blond, she pulled the blanket towards her chest and turned towards Cameron who was still lying on the bed. "Get up naughty, we have a date!"

The blond sat up and pulled the blanket towards herself in one quick motion. "Aww! A day-after date? I feel so special," she said in mock sarcasm, batting her eyelashes at the grinning brunette.

"Yeah whatever" Thirteen answered, mockingly narrowing her eyes towards the blond. She leaned forward, grabbed her top at the edge of the bed, and put it on.

"We have a date with Caroline and Katie remember?" She continued, getting off the bed. She was wearing a black tank top and boy-cut underwear, which made Cameron realize that she had to find her own pair.

Thirteen was on her way to the door when she noticed the blond looking around, looking for something. "There's a robe inside the drawer on the bedside table. Go shower, you can wear my clothes first then we can pass by your house before going to the restaurant so you can change, or you can just wear my clothes."

Cameron felt caught, and at the same time relieved that the younger woman did not make her ask about how they would go about the whole 'lack of clothes' thing. "No, your clothes are ok. Thanks!"

Seeing that Thirteen had made her way to the kitchen, the blond looked over the drawer and saw that a robe was indeed in there. It made Cameron think that the younger woman had probably always kept one in there for her morning-after routines with her one-night-stands. Shaking away the thought, she put the robe on and towards the kitchen to take a peek; Thirteen was pouring orange juice into a glass. Smiling at the sight, she turned and made her way to the bathroom.

* * *

"So is there a certain protocol I must follow?' Cameron asked, looking out the window. She and Thirteen were inside the brunette's car, on their way to meet Caroline and Katie.

"What do you mean?" The younger woman asked, glancing at the rear view mirror.

"I don't know. Since Caroline is your therapist there might be things I should not say or whatever."

"Nah" The brunette replied, her eyes glued to the road. "She knows everything. If there is someone who knows something that should not be said, it's Caroline."

Cameron nodded approvingly. "I haven't told you this, but I've always found the idea of you having a therapist pretty hard to imagine, with you being so secretive and all."

"Yeah," the brunette responded with a smirk, unsurprised. "House not being able to figure me out right away made it seem like I was so closed off that I can't connect with anyone"

"Well I wouldn't have believed House if I didn't see it from you as well."

The brunette thought better of beating the red light and hit the brakes, slowing down the car to a stop. Keeping her hands on the steering wheel, she turned her head and looked the blond in the eye. "When we tell people something personal -- something we did or something we think -- it's like giving them a part of ourselves. It wasn't that I did not want to connect with anyone at the hospital; it's just that I'm not as ecstatic as everyone else is to share every part of ourselves to just anyone we meet."

"Fair enough" Cameron responded. She knew that it seemed like she was complaining about Thirteen's inability to open up, and she really was, but she was also aware that not saying what she felt would be hypocritical.

Thirteen glanced at the blond and gave her a concerned look. "Ally, I opened up to Caroline because I asked her for help; she had to know. We'll get there, ok?"

"You're right," the blond answered contentedly. "Maybe I can get a head start by asking her stuff huh?" she continued, grinning.

Thirteen was a little distracted to respond, as she was busy trying to maneuver the car into a parking slot. She backed the car slowly into the spot slowly, and then turned off the engine. "Don't even bother, I may not be paying her but we've got doctor-patient confidentiality."

"Right. Oh well, that may not be as fun anyways."

Cameron held her purse and made her way out of the car, following Thirteen into the restaurant not far from where they parked. A few seconds into the place the blond spotted Katie sitting with a blond 40-ish woman at a table.

The blond suddenly remembered telling Katie that she and Thirteen were not together. Panic immediately struck her body as she realized that the impending interaction might result in either Katie thinking that she lied about having a relationship with the brunette.

"Allison, honey!" Caroline greeted as the two women approached their table. "You're more gorgeous than Remy had described, it's so nice to meet you!" The psychologist stood up and pulled Cameron lightly into a gentle hug.

"Nice to see you too C!" Remy retorted, rolling her eyes as she pulled a chair for Cameron.

Caroline shot the brunette a look as she sat down again. "Oh shush Remy! You've been talking about her for weeks, so don't blame me if I'm excited to meet her!"

"For weeks you say?" Cameron asked, smiling playfully at Thirteen.

"Shut up Caroline!" The brunette quipped, taking a seat herself.

Cameron turned towards Katie and saw that the youngest woman at the table was looking at her almost questioningly.

"Oh, sorry for being so rude," Caroline blurted out. "Allison, this is Katie, my associate. Katie dear, this is Allison, Remy's…"

"Girlfriend" Remy filled in.

"Well that's great to hear honey!" Caroline exclaimed, looking alternately between the two women.

Cameron was caught off guard to say the least, and could only respond by flashing a weak smile. She turned immediately towards Katie who just looked at her smugly.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Allison."

"You too," Cameron mumbled, avoiding eye contact. Both she and Katie looked towards Thirteen and Caroline, almost begging them to talk to drown out the awkward silence.

"So, shall we order?" Caroline announced, looking around for a waiter.

"You guys decide, I'll eat whatever, I just have to go to the bathroom," Katie said, rising from her seat. A waiter arrived and gave the three remaining woman the menus.

"What do you want Ally?" Thirteen asked Cameron, looking over her own copy of the menu.

Cameron had her eyes glued to the menu but her mind was somewhere else. She was feeling bad about the whole thing with Katie, and at the same time nervous that Thirteen might notice the awkwardness between her and the younger woman, and find out about their unexpected meeting at her doorstep.

"Ally?" The brunette asked again, setting the menu on the table and leaning forward towards Cameron who was right across her.

"Uhh I'm not sure." The blond responded, setting the menu down as well. "You decide, I need to go to the bathroom too. Is that OK?"

"Oh don't worry dear, I'll order all the finest items on the menu" Caroline responded. Cameron stood from her seat and headed to the bathroom.

"Look I'm sorry." Cameron said apologetically, walking towards Katie who was standing by the mirror inside the comfort room.

"It's ok." Katie said, not even bothering to look at Cameron. "It was a personal question, and I was a stranger, I couldn't blame you for not saying the truth."

"I did not mean to lie to you Katie," the blond answered, taking another step closer to the younger woman. "We weren't together yet when you asked me."

Finally Katie faced Cameron and flashed a shy smile. "It's ok. It doesn't matter anymore, really."

"It does." Cameron ran her hand gently along Katie's arm and looked her straight in the eye. "I know you like her. It wouldn't have bothered you if you didn't, and I don't blame you. I know how it feels because I like her too."

Katie smirked and looked down at the floor. "The only difference between us is she likes you too." She raised her head up and met Cameron's eyes. Cameron only smiled, not really knowing what to say.

"You look good together by the way." The younger woman commented.

Cameron smiled at the compliment, glad that she and Katie had settled things favorably.

Katie's appearance lightened up and a more sincere and eager smile filled her face. "I think it's time we get back to the table, Caroline and Remy might kill each other."

The four women's lunch date went more smoothly after Katie and Cameron's talk. Their conversations mostly consisted of Caroline dishing out some fairly embarrassing stories about Thirteen, and the brunette doing the same about the psychologist.

"Well, this has been nothing short of being lovely, but I'm afraid we have to go." Caroline announced an hour later. "We have a meeting with a colleague at, three?" she continued, looking at Katie.

"Yes." Katie answered.

"This was really great," Cameron said, standing up at exactly the same time Caroline and Katie did. She gave both women a hug.

"See you next week Remy," Caroline said, looking down at the still sitting Thirteen.

"Yeah, sure."

Caroline walked away from the table, followed by Katie. Both Thirteen and Cameron followed them with their eyes as they left, waving them goodbye as the two women walked out of the restaurant.

"That went well." Thirteen commented, craning her neck back towards Cameron.

"Yeah, they were great; I see now why you had chosen her to be your therapist. She's like the female version of House, only without the being a jerk part."

"Hmm yeah," the brunette agreed, pouting slightly, as she motioned for the waiter nearby to clear their table.

"So what do you want for dessert?" Thirteen spoke again, resting her arms on their now cleared table.

Cameron raised her eyebrow, leaned back, and crossed her arms. "Surprise me."

A grin immediately formed on the brunette's face. She raised her left arm to call a waiter, and fixated her eyes towards the blond. "Don't I always?"

Several tables away from the two women, a man who had just come in placed his cane on top of the table, and fished through his coat pocket for his phone.

"Hello… Chase?"

Twenty minutes later, Thirteen and Cameron were sitting beside each other enjoying a serving of fried green tea ice cream.

"Hmm" Cameron moaned, savoring the taste of the ice cream she had just put in her mouth. "This is the weirdest, best-tasting ice cream I've ever had."

"What can I say, I have good taste." Thirteen responded confidently.

The blond leaned closer to the brunette and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Of course you do."

"Cameron?"

Both women turned to the source of the voice, and saw Chase standing a few feet in front of them.

"What the hell is going on?" He shouted, walking towards them. "You said you were in Chicago, and now I find out you're with this?" He said, pertaining to the brunette.

Cameron stood up, her fingers curled into angry fists. "We're over Robert, and this is none of your business."

"We're not over until the divorce gets settled, which means right now, you're still my wife!" Chase grabbed Cameron by the wrists and pulled her towards him. The rest of the people in the restaurant looked on worriedly.

"Get away from her!" Thirteen protested, trying to pry Chase's hands away from Cameron's arm.

"Get your hands off me or I swear I'm going to hit you!"

"Just go on and try!"

"Someone please call security!" A woman from the other table cried out as she watched the three doctors struggling against each other.

Chase was getting frustrated and growing angrier; Cameron's arm was obviously hurting, and Thirteen was showing no sign of letting go. His temper overwhelming him, he raised his arm and balled up his fist preparing to hit the brunette with it.

Tears were already streaming down Cameron's face, and her eyes widened as she saw Chase about to hit Thirteen

"Robert!"

Her scream stopped Chase from moving, at least momentarily.

"I'll go with you, just please don't hurt her."

Thirteen's eyes widened at Cameron's statement. "Ally you don't have to do this!"

"I need to settle this Remy," the blond responded, looking straight into the brunette's eyes, her eyes pleading. "I'll be ok, I promise."

"But Ally--"

"I'll be back. I need to settle this, Remy. We need it to be settled".

The brunette breathed deeply, trying to fight back her sobs. With her eyes still aimed directly at the blond, Thirteen slowly loosened her grip on Chase's arms.

"I'll be back Remy," Cameron called out, as Chase pulled her away from the brunette.

Watching Cameron walk out of the restaurant with Chase, Thirteen sank back into her seat. She rested her elbows on the table and used her hands to support her head. Feeling her eyes slowly being filled with tears, she threw a couple of bills on the table and ran out to her car. She knew this day was coming, but she didn't act on it until it was too late.

Inside the restaurant, the man with the cane looked on as the brunette ran out and got into her car.

**

* * *

  
I do not feel ready to write smut just yet, so I will leave the events that transpired Friday night up to you.**


	19. Truth

**I would like to apologize to Chase fans if he had become the bad guy for this story. Every story needs one, and in this case, well he's the logical choice.**

**

* * *

Monday morning**

Thirteen paced around her apartment with her phone in hand. She and Cameron hadn't talked since the scene at the restaurant two days before except for a few text messages the blond had sent, all telling her not to worry. However, Cameron's assurance did not make her feel any better; she didn't know where she was and what Chase had been making her go through.

_We're just talking, Remy. I am fine. Don't call. I will find you the moment this is over._

She reread the blond's last text message for the nth time and then threw her phone at dining table.

She was about to head to her bedroom to get some badly needed shuteye when the sound of her phone ringing echoed throughout the room.

_Oh please be Allison,_ she thought as she practically threw herself at the table to grab the phone.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Hadley this is Dr. Cuddy," the voice said.

The brunette balled up her fist in disappointment. "Yes, Dr. Cuddy?"

"I understand you filed for a leave today," the dean responded. The brunette was surprised Cuddy would even call her about that; she had called House the night before about not going to work. House agreed, quite surprisingly.

"Yeah," the brunette answered, trying to sound relaxed. "I just needed to rest and take care of some things, I'll be back to work in no time."

She heard Cuddy sigh from the other line. "Look, Thirteen, I know what happened."

Thirteen wasn't sure what Cuddy meant, and how much she knew, but she knew that the dean might give her answers to the questions inside her head.

"Cameron sent me a message yesterday and told me what happened. I was only able to call today because I was in a conference. Anyway, she told me to keep tabs on you."

Thirteen couldn't believe Cameron told Cuddy to keep an eye on her. She didn't even know Cuddy knew about their relationship.

"Did she tell you where she is? Cause I've been passing by her apartment constantly but she's never there and I don't know where Chase's apartment is. Do you know where it is? Cause I-"

"Thirteen!" Cuddy interrupted.

It made Thirteen realize that she had been blabbering, and wasn't really giving the dean a chance to say anything. "I'm sorry," she murmured, walking towards her living room and eyeing her couch.

"With all honesty, I was thrilled when Cameron told me about your relationship. But this is something between her and Chase. They are still technically married, and in as much as I want you two to have a drama-fee, seamless relationship, I'm afraid Chase and Cameron really needs to settle this first."

The young doctor sat on the couch and smirked, Cuddy was giving her the exact same speech Caroline has been giving her for two straight days now.

"I understand that," she responded. "But does it really require Cameron not seeing or even calling me for days? I mean it's not like I'm going to interfere or anything."

"Look, you are clearly not Chase's favorite person right now." Cuddy explained. "My best guess is, Cameron figured that it is better that they work things out without further throwing it on Chase's face that you two are together. It's for your own sake."

Thirteen realized that Cuddy's explanation made sense, but remembering the events that transpired the past weekend reminded her of another concern. "Also, I'm worried because Chase wasn't exactly gentle with her last week. He might hurt her."

Cuddy thought of the possibility of such a situation, but figured that Cameron had seen too many cases of abuse to not know better. "Cameron wouldn't let Chase hurt her, you know that." she answered with certainty. "If he hurts her, I'd be one of those with you in retaliating."

Thirteen felt slightly embarrassed; she should have trusted Cameron to know how to stand up for herself.

"Give them both a break, they're going through a divorce," the dean advised.

It was definitely unexpected, but Thirteen felt assured for the first time in days. "Thank you Dr. Cuddy."

* * *

"You know what's funny?" Chase asked, glancing briefly at Cameron before staring at his half-full can of beer. It was his fifth, probably; Cameron had lost count. They were sitting across each other on the living room, on what was probably their twentieth time of talking things out. "I actually thought Thirteen was the easiest to tolerate among the team. She isn't diabolical like House, not boring like Foreman, and not annoying like Taub."

Cameron knew better than to respond; by the way the man slurred as he spoke, he was clearly drunk.

"Well at least right until I found out she was running around town making out with my wife!" He continued, giving Cameron a disgusted look.

"Can I go home now Robert?" the blond asked. She had agreed to stay in Chase's apartment-what used to be their apartment- to talk about the divorce, not to tend to a drunken Australian. "We've both contacted our lawyers and agreed to finalize the divorce by next week. There's nothing left to discuss."

The way Chase's knuckles were going white, Cameron knew it wasn't over.

"Home? What's home now Allison? That bitch?" He growled, leaning forward. "Did you really think finalizing the divorce would make all these go away? Did you think that when the divorce is done, we'll all be friends like nothing happened?"

Cameron leaned back. Of course things wouldn't be fine even after the divorce is settled.

"You're right. Nothing will go away, Robert. We won't be fine; because we shouldn't be. You will still be what you've turned to be, and I still won't forgive you for it. Things will still be as fucked up as they always have been."

The man scoffed, smiled at the beer can and drank the rest of its contents. Unknown to him, the blond was holding her phone by her thigh and was currently pressing a few buttons.

* * *

The brunette was on her bed now, lying on her stomach, lounging lazily. After her conversation with Cuddy earlier, she suddenly felt like she could relax, even just for a little bit. Looking around, her eyes led her to the lamp, where Cameron's top was still hanging. The sight rendered itself bittersweet; it reminded her of the still very young but already wonderful relationship she has with Cameron, but at the same time, it reminded her of the fact that she is alone.

She was rapidly growing sleepy, not having slept properly for days. As her eyelids became heavy, she stared at the doorway that leads to her kitchen, and waited for sleep to come.

She already had her eyes closed when she heard a faint sound coming from her living room. It was her phone.

The brunette tried to decide whether the text message that had just arrived was worth the effort of getting up and walking out of the room. It seemed like she was getting her first decent hour of sleep in a few days, and the text might just be from House, forwarding a sex joke or something.

Hoping on the off chance that it was Cameron who texted, she pushed herself up, got off the bed, and walked rather groggily to the living room.

Seeing her phone on the edge of the couch, she swiped it off the soft surface and pressed the screen to view the message.

_I think we're almost done, see you soon!_

Smiling, the brunette texted a response and giddily walked back to her bed.

* * *

Chase hadn't said a word since Cameron last spoke, and it relieved and worried the blond at the same time. Seeing the empty beer cans and bags of chips on the table between them, she decided she needed a drink herself, and even probably a sandwich. "I'll get something to eat, want some?" she asked softly. He didn't look at her, but shook his head slightly as he stared at the window.

Hearing Cameron open the fridge from the kitchen, Chase looked at the couch the blond had occupied and saw her phone lying there. It was lit up, which meant a message had just come in. Glancing alternately between the kitchen and the phone, he rose from his seat and reached for the phone. Looking at the doorway to the kitchen one more time, he held the phone and pressed the button that opened the message.

_Great! I'll be waiting here with your favorite bottle of wine. I miss you badly Allison. I can't believe you'll be mine soon. Love you!_

Shaking in anger, he pressed a few more buttons, gripped the phone steadily, and waited for the call to connect.

"Ally baby?"

"Do you think she's any better off with you than she was with me? You? The dying womanizing bitch? You're even worse than I am! I may not have been the perfect husband or the perfect person for her, but here's a newsflash, neither are you! You can't make her happy and you know it! Do something decent for once and let her have something she really deserves!"

If not for the dead weight of her hand pressing the phone against her ear, Thirteen would have definitely dropped her phone on the bed. She lay on her side, silent, motionless. She waited if Chase would speak again, and at the same time hoped that he didn't.

The line went dead a few seconds later, but the brunette still lay there without moving a muscle. Amidst her stillness, she was fighting an internal battle: she was trying to fight off the thoughts that Chase's words had brought to her, and at the same time feeling a painful realization brewing: the realization that his words were the truth.

Sliding her hand off the side of her head, she watched her phone drop to her bed and eyed it. She was caught off guard once again, just like she was at the restaurant a few days back. It wasn't like her to be like that. She had always had everything taken cared of; every situation foreseen. The version of her that exists now is the opposite of what she had always been. She had become carefree, and she did not have this insatiable desire for control any more.

Exhausted of her own thoughts, she slowly rolled off the bed and proceeded to walk to her kitchen. She stopped in front of a cupboard she hadn't opened in quite a while, and opened it.

From it she pulled out two bottles: vodka and tequila.

* * *

I hope this chapter wasn't confusing; they were two different scenes happening simultaneously so both sides had to be told alternately. =)


	20. Deception

Chase stared at the phone in his hand and breathed deeply to keep himself calm. He glanced at the doorway and saw that Cameron was almost finished preparing her snack. Acting quickly, he stood up and placed back the phone back to where it was, and leaned back into his seat.

"I made you a sandwich in case you get hungry later." Cameron stated as she walked into the living room. She was holding a tray with a plate with sandwiches on them, as well as two glasses of juice.

The man only followed the blond with his eyes and nodded slightly when her eyes met his. Cameron set the tray on the table and took a sandwich before moving backwards into the couch behind her. She glanced at her phone and saw that there isn't any new message, which meant that Thirteen hadn't replied. Trying not to be disappointed, she looked up at Chase and saw him taking one of the sandwiches on the plate.

"Thanks," he said, taking a bite. The gesture surprised the woman, to say the least. Chase had been angry and constantly giving her disgusted looks the past days, but now his voice sounded almost nice.

"It's nothing, you needed it." Cameron answered. She leaned forward and reached for her glass to drink some juice.

"I'm sorry"

The blond placed down the glass and swallowed the last of the juice she had drunk. She was confused; sure, Chase had things to apologize for, but which one this time?

"I'm sorry for how I've been treating you these past days. I haven't gotten over the fact that you left me, and it killed me to see that you've found someone else, especially someone we both know. It's no longer my business, and it wasn't fair."

Cameron could hardly believe what she was hearing. She leaned back into the couch and looked at her soon-to-be ex-husband in the eye.

"When the divorce gets settled in the next weeks, you will not hear from me again, and I won't treat Thirteen in any way other than professionally" he continued.

The blond's face lit up, and before she knew it, a smile has spread across her face. "Thank you Robert, you don't know how much this means to me."

Chase smiled weakly at the woman, "You deserve the best, Allison. You always will."

Not able to keep her excitement, Cameron rose from her seat and approached Chase, pulling him into a gentle hug. He hugged her back, and silently sneered and looked at Cameron's phone as soon as his face was out of the blond's view. He knew how his words would affect Thirteen, and he was certain they would serve their purpose. Seconds later, Cameron pulled away and went back to her seat.

"Can I ask you a small favor though, Allison?" Chase asked as he took a seat again.

Cameron couldn't help but think that Chase's understanding of the situation came with a catch, but decided that if it did, she'd accept it as long as it will end with her and Thirteen fully able to consummate their relationship. "What is it?"

"Would it be ok if you stayed here just a couple of days more?" he asked pleadingly. "Nothing weird, I promise. Just, stay here. You can still sleep in the guest room just like you did the past days."

The blond tried to weigh her options. It was a far simpler and easier favor to give than she had expected Chase to ask. Staying wouldn't be a big deal, really; she had been doing so the past nights and nothing that she would find uncomfortable has happened.

But Thirteen was a big factor of course; she had been aching to see the younger doctor since they were separated at the restaurant. However, if staying longer was what would decide whether they could get Chase's blessing or not, the blond figured it would be worth the pain of missing Thirteen just for a little more.

"Sure."

Chase grinned upon hearing Cameron's answer, and took a bite off the sandwich he had just taken from the plate. "Great."

Taking her phone from beside her on the couch, Cameron held the device a few inches from her face, her smile unwavering.

* * *

Thirteen was already downing her fifth shot of tequila when she saw a faint light coming off from her bedroom. She was sitting on her kitchen island surrounded by lime. Furrowing her eyebrows, she jumped off the surface and walked towards her room, the tequila bottle still in hand.

It was her phone again. She stood on the side of her bed and stared at her phone; Cameron's name was flashed on the screen, indicating that she had sent a message.

The brunette was actually more undecided than confused. She didn't care anymore what the message would say or how it would affect her; what concerned her now is that if she felt too lazy to pick it up or not.

Deciding that reaching for it a good excuse to lie on the bed, she set the tequila bottle on the bedside table and collapsed on the bed. She landed on her stomach, with her phone right above her right shoulder. She held the phone close to her face and opened the message.

_I'll be staying here at Chase's for the night. It's for the best, I promise. See you soon!_

"It's for the best," Thirteen read out, her lips starting to tremble. She let the phone slide off her hands and she rolled away from it, this time lying on her side.

_What's the best anyway?_ She thought, running her hand through her blanket beneath her.

She thought of calling Cameron back and telling her what Chase had just done, but the more she convinced herself to do it, the more it felt cowardly and pathetic. Chase had expressed his thoughts about their relationship, and nothing about it is surprising. What caught her off guard really was how much it affected her when he reminded her of her sickness and her womanizing ways.

She thought she had learned better not to wallow in self-pity and actually start taking value of herself. But when Chase called, hearing those words from him and knowing that he is the one guy who probably knows Cameron, one thing rang true: she may be good enough for the rest of the world, but she may not be good enough for someone like Cameron.

_Maybe he's right_, she thought. _Maybe she is not any better off with a dying womanizing bitch like me than she was with a murderer like him._

The brunette was startled when her phone behind her started ringing again. Turning slowly, she grabbed her phone and looked at the screen; Cameron was calling. She had a feeling it was actually Cameron on the other line this time, but it was now too late for it to matter. With the memory of the earlier phone call in mind, she let the phone ring until it was dropped. She stared at it a few seconds more, waiting if she would call again.

Deciding that she had waited long enough, she placed her phone on silent mode. She pushed herself off the bed and walked to the bedside table. Holding on to the tequila bottle, she opened the drawer and dropped her phone in carelessly, and then kicked the drawer to a close.

Tequila bottle in hand, the brunette walked out of her bedroom and off to the kitchen. Grabbing a couple of lime and a small knife, she walked groggily to her couch.

* * *

"That's weird," Cameron said, placing her phone on the kitchen counter. Chase had somehow sobered up, and they decided to clean up the mess the man had made. "Thirteen isn't answering my call. She didn't even reply to my message earlier."

"She's probably busy" Chase lied, putting the beer bottles on the trash bin. "I guess you can blame me for that. If we have a case they're one man short." He was trying to recall if he erased Thirteen's reply on Cameron's phone, and remembered that he did.

"Maybe you're right," the blond answered, drying her hands with a paper towel. "I'll just head to her place when I leave,"

Chase saw that Cameron was a little nervous as she mentioned about her leaving, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Can I request your stay to last at least until Wednesday?" He asked, rather nicely.

"Tuesday." Cameron bargained, walking passed him and into the hall.

"Tuesday night" Chase said back.

Cameron smirked at her ex-husband; this was how they always settled things when they were still happily married, and it somehow relieved her that they can still do it now despite their impending divorce.

"Fine," she answered with a smile. She continued walking down the hall to the guest room where she was sleeping. "I'll go take a shower."

* * *

Almost finishing off the whole bottle of tequila and half the bottle of vodka, Thirteen was lying on her couch, with her head on the arm rest. The table before her was now riddled with chewn lime pieces, cigarette butts, and droplets of tequila. She had ran down her building twice; one to buy cigarettes and one to buy lime. It had been ages since she last smoked, but she remembers liking the buzz.

She had been falling in and out of sleep for the past hours, and her best guess was that it was already Tuesday morning. She enjoyed the silence that filled her apartment. She also thanked the tequila for keeping her mind just as silent.

That silence was however soon broken by yet another ringing device, this time her land line. Not moving an inch, the brunette shifted herself slightly on the couch and wished that the sound that had invaded her little world would just go away.

The call went to voicemail, and the young doctor somehow heard the message of whoever called; it was House.

_Hey, are you coming in today? Don't make me go there. Call me._

Despite dismissing even hearing the message, the brunette found it hard to go back to sleep after being disrupted by the call. Growing frustrated, she slowly got up from the couch. Her vision was blurry and she was very dizzy, but her irritation kept her going.

She walked towards her desk where the phone was, turned the ringer off, and lowered down the volume for the answering machine. She had actually thought of yanking her phone off the line altogether, but having done that before, she knew that doing so would only lead to a visit from someone at the phone line company.

Pretty certain that there is no other way that people could contact her, the brunette contentedly stumbled back into the couch. She knew there were things that she had to think about, but it was too painful to even think about thinking about them right now. Lying on her stomach, she stared at the messy table before her, and slowly drifted into sleep.


	21. Pain

**Thank you for the support and reviews despite the infrequent updates. They mean a lot and I appreciate them very much.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy :)**

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"What do you mean you've lost her?" Katie asked.

"You know what?" Thirteen responded angrily, her eyes looking at her glass divider. "I didn't lose her; I didn't freaking have her in the first place!" She let go of the bottle on her hand and let it fall on the floor.

Katie watched cautiously where the bottle had rolled off, thankful that it didn't break. The brunette saw the nervous look on the younger woman's face, and instantly felt bad for her being sucked into the situation. "Please, go home Katie."

"I can't," the red head answered immediately. Seeing Thirteen like this broke her more than she knew it should. All she wanted to do at that moment was hold the other woman and make everything alright for her, but she knew that she was not the one Thirteen needed.

"I know Caroline sent you here." Thirteen explained, desperately trying to keep her voice down. "I already turned down the volume of my voice mail and I could _still_ hear her yapping away all freaking morning."

Katie looked down at the floor, somehow embarrassed of the timing of her presence. It was actually just a coincidence that Caroline told her to check on the brunette; she had decided to check on Thirteen at her place right after Caroline told her that she hadn't been able to contact the young doctor for some time now. She decided that an explanation wouldn't matter either way; the important thing was that she was there, and something had to be done.

"Well I'm sorry but I'm not going to leave," Katie finally responded. She nervously placed her hand on Thirteen's arm, rubbing it gently. "Look, obviously something went wrong, but doing this?" she continued, looking at the mess on the table. "This does not solve anything."

The brunette gave her a confused look and then giggled sarcastically, "Who said anything about solving anything? What happened happened; there's nothing to do but move on."

Katie leaned closer towards Thirteen. She was a little uncomfortable, but she knew that Thirteen was drunk, and if there was a way to get the brunette's attention, this had to be it.

"This is not you, and you know it."

The proximity between them charged up the brunette a little bit, and she had to actively stop herself from acting on pure instinct and kissing Katie. The idea of her and the woman before her making out seemed ridiculous, but with the buzz from the alcohol currently kicking in, and being reminded of the pain that she's trying to get away from; the brunette figured that she probably wouldn't mind such a thing from happening.

"It doesn't matter," Thirteen responded looking alternately between Katie's eyes and lips. She wasn't really certain of what she was doing; all she knew was that she will hold on to anything that will make her feel anything other than pain.

Katie, of course, noticed the brunette looking at her seductively, and couldn't help but feel torn. For the first time, the young doctor was looking at her in a way she had always wanted her to. But she knew it was not real; it was the pain taking over.

Trying not to mind the pain building up inside of her, the young woman broke eye contact and distanced herself from the brunette. The lack of gap between them was increasingly becoming hard to handle. She reached down for the vodka bottle on the floor and held it with both her hands. "Fine, do what you need to do to feel better, but don't expect that I'll let you do it alone."

Thirteen flashed a knowing smirk and slid herself sideways to lie on the couch. "Good," she said, stretching her arms. "Because with what I have in mind, I don't expect to do it alone," she said with a naughty grin on her face.

Unable to keep a serious aura, Katie returned the grin and shook her head. It was now certain that the brunette was drunk. She stood up, the vodka bottle still in hand, watched Thirteen stretch out the length of her body across the couch, and then walked off into the kitchen. "Let's get on with it then, let's clean up!"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Katie heard the brunette shout out from the living room. She placed the vodka bottle on the trash bin and then began to pick up the lime slices on the kitchen counter. She was throwing them off into the bin when she heard footsteps becoming louder by the second.

"I still have beer!" Thirteen exclaimed, walking lazily towards the fridge. She pulled the door open and peered downwards into it. "Not enough for both of us though, I think."

Katie closed the trash bin and saw Thirteen opening a bottle in front of the still open fridge door. "That's ok, I don't drink much."

"Oh come on!" Thirteen responded disbelievingly as she walked towards Katie. "How can you be Caroline's assistant and not be a hard drinker? Isn't drinking part of the job?"

"Well yeah," Katie answered hesitantly as Thirteen walked closer to her. She tried to keep herself unavailable to the brunette by constantly moving and cleaning up the kitchen. "Why don't you get back to the living room? I'll finish up here."

Thirteen did not respond, and instead continued walking slowly towards her, placing the beer bottle on the counter in the process. Sure enough, as Katie was placing the used dishes on the sink, she felt two arms coming from under her arms behind her, and the brunette's body leaning on her back. Thirteen placed her hands on the edge of the counter, effectively caging up Katie with her body.

"What are you doing?" Katie asked nervously, unconsciously holding her breath as she felt the brunette's skin brush across hers.

The brunette placed her mouth near the younger woman's ear, while her hands moved slowly towards Katie's hips. "You know exactly what I'm doing," she whispered.

Never in her adult life had Katie felt more conflicted; the woman she had secretly adored for some time now was finally giving her attention, and yet every moment of it felt like a betrayal.

Holding on to the last bit of sanity within her, Katie turned to face the brunette, committed to telling her off about her inappropriate advances.

The sight that she saw however, was something she could have never prepared for.

A few feet from them, Cameron stood motionless, looking at them with a surprised look on her face.

Katie immediately broke away from Thirteen's grip and walked to the other side of the kitchen, unable to speak.

Thirteen turned and found Cameron standing there, her gaze looking more angry than surprised. She stumbled to the counter where she had placed her beer, grabbed the bottle, and drank almost half of it while her eyes were still set on the blond.

"What are you doing here?" she asked smugly.

Cameron held the purse on her hand tightly, causing her knuckles to go white. "What am I doing here?!" she shouted. "What I'm doing here is coming to tell you that I endured conversation after conversation with my drunken ex-husband just so things would be ok for us."

The brunette took another swig from the bottle and let out a tired laugh. "Sorry Ally baby, but that's a lost battle you fought there. You're freaking Mother Theresa, and I'm the dying womanizing bitch; we can never be OK."

The blond just looked sadly at Thirteen and then glanced at Katie. She shook her head, and tilted her head up as if to stop the teardrops that were now forming at the corners of her eyes from falling. "Yeah, I know that now."

Cameron turned and stormed off the apartment, leaving Thirteen and Katie to an awkward silence. The younger woman turned towards the brunette; she had her head down, her left hand over her eyes only half visible from underneath her hair covering most of her face. Sobs that were almost inaudible were coming from her direction.

Katie was confused whether to comfort Thirteen or follow Cameron. She knew that she had just made their already bad situation much worse, and she felt terrible. She had to do something about it.

"Just go, Katie," Thirteen said, her voice muffled. Deciding that she might have a better chance of actually comforting Cameron than Thirteen, Katie decided to follow and walked off into the living room to find her bag.

She found Cameron inside her car, her eyes already welling up with tears, looking at nowhere in particular. No longer willing to be dismissed, Katie headed to the passenger side and let herself inside the car. Cameron did not even bother to look at her when she did.

It was only at this point that Katie realized she did not know what to say. She was not fully aware of what happened, and knew only that things are not going well for both women. She then decided to start with the truth.

"I do not know what happened between you two," she started, repositioning herself to face Cameron, who was still staring blankly towards the front of the car. "But when I got here today, the first thing she told me was that she had lost you."

Cameron still didn't budge, and didn't seem to mind the tears that were now streaming down her face. Katie took it as the permission to continue.

"And with you being here now, I think it means that she had thought wrong. But she didn't know that, and she still doesn't know that. All there is now for her is the pain of losing you."

Cameron wiped her face with a napkin she had brought out of her purse, her eyes still set to a place Katie did not know of. "She did not lose me! I told her I'll be back! If she had been reading my messages and answering my calls she would know that!"

"She should have answered your calls or read your messages, but she didn't. She didn't lose you, but the mere though of it was enough to tear her apart. Something made her think she _did_ lose you, and after that, that was all there is."

The blond turned and faced Katie, her eyes bloodshot and wet with tears. "I don't know what made you think that anything you say would matter to me right now, because whatever it was, it was wrong. Don't defend her and don't make the excuses for her and yourself. I saw what I saw."

Katie felt helpless, and sensed tears forming in her own eyes as well. "What you saw was not her!" she exclaimed, her voice faltering. "What we saw there, was sheer pain. It's what's left of her after the pain of losing you had eaten her up. Don't you get it? She's aching for you _that_ much. And I'm hoping as hell that you would understand that, because frankly, knowing that was the only thing stopping me from kissing her at that moment."

Katie then got out of Cameron's car and walked towards her own, immediately starting it and speeding off, not really certain of where she's headed.

Cameron sat motionless as she heard the engine of Katie's car roar away into the distance. She faced forward and glanced at Thirteen's apartment from her car's windshield. She thought about what to do next and finally made a decision.

Inserting her key in the car ignition, she started up her car and backed off into the road, moving away towards her own apartment.

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**This is the continuation of the flash forward from chapter 16, for those who might be confused.**


	22. Untie The Knots

**Shananigan – thanks for being a constant reader and reviewer despite the not so often updates =)**

**biglusky – i know right! i surely wouldn't have handled such a situation as good as she did :p**

**meva desa – thanks! don't worry, this will all be over**

**SexyMuppet – are you ok? :=)**

**Ilive4jeanz – yeah, i hope the lost fans here weren't offended by it.**

**Miralinda – Cameron has been going through a lot of stuff, so she's really confused and unable to process things properly. Things will become better soon lol**

**EvaH2Os – yeah, I was really tempted to hook them up, but decided not to. It was too hard.**

**Less than 13 – things definitely haven't been easy. The resolution will come up very soon.**

**Pink Jover – many readers do want some Chase ass-kicking after the previous two chapters! That'll happen don't worry!**

**Dying-Inside-Never-Out – aww sorry. soon enough baby :=)**

**ShelbyO – thank you very much! it was indeed an emotional chapter, and will probably be the last of that kind for this fic. things will become lighter from now on.**

**Twampy – lol I'm afraid we have to wait a little more for that chapter. Soon enough my friend! =)**

**Amazon Life – yeah, it was one of them 'worst timing' type of situations. it sure doesn't seem fun if it has ever happened in real life to anyone. I think the suffering is just passed on, if the characters make the writers suffer, the writers make the readers suffer too :p**

**Thanks again for the reviews. While writing this fic I realized we're nearing the end, about 2 chapters more tops. It's still really fun to write, and I hope you too are still having fun reading it as well. **

**Anyway, enough blabber, more action.**

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**"Welcome back" House announced blankly, eyeing Chase. He stepped into the office and threw his bag on a chair nearby.

"We're still one man short I see," he continued, taking off his jacket and hanging it on the rack. The three men only responded with smug look on their faces. "Well actually just half a man, with her being bisexual and all." He pulled himself a seat, sat down, and played with his cane. "But I've heard she has the skill of three men in bed. What do you think Foreman?"

Foreman rolled his eyes and leaned back into his chair with his arms crossed. House ignored the lack of answer and leaned forward with a stern look on his face, as if about to announce something. "Foreman do my clinic hours, Taub find us a case"

The two doctors let out a large breath, one probably of relief than irritation, and then stood up. Chase on the other hand sported a weirded out look on his face. Taub paused in front of House and motioned towards the surgeon. "What about Chase?"

"He has a special assignment," House responded, smiling playfully at Chase. "One that involves a car, foam, and water!"

"Right" Taub murmured, following Foreman towards the door. Seeing that both Foreman and Taub were clearly out of sight and earshot, House turned his head towards Chase, who still had the same look on his face. "So, what happened?" he asked casually, starting to rock his chair.

Chase hesitated for a moment, and then leaned forward to rest his arms on the table. "The divorce gets settled next week."

"Now that can't be good," House commented.

The hint of concern in his voice sounded weird to Chase's ear, but the younger doctor decided to brush it off. "Nah," he answered, leaning into the back of his chair and crossing his legs. "It's OK, it was what we agreed on before; we just didn't really settle it right away."

House gave him a "that makes sense" look, his cane still rotating skillfully on his right hand. "So does that mean you're OK with them being together?"

Chase furrowed his eyebrows at the older doctor. "Why do you care?"

"It's not that I care, as it is that I'm curious," House responded. He got up from his chair and walked towards the coffee machine. "And besides, you _at least_ owe me the specifics; I was the one who told you about them in the first place."

The younger doctor pursed his lips. Him knowing about Cameron and Thirteen through the diagnostician had nothing to do with any of them; it was all about House's curiosity.

Nonetheless, House is right; if it wasn't for him he wouldn't have found out about Cameron and Thirteen.

"I called her."

"Called who?" House set up the machine and limped back to his chair.

Chase leaned forward again. He placed his hands on the table and stared at them. "Thirteen. I called her and told her that she's dying and that she's not good enough for Cameron."

House raised his eyebrows at his fellow. "Seems like you're on a killing spree. First Dibala, and now Thirty-one?"

"I didn't tell her to kill herself," Chase exclaimed defensively, cupping his right hand with the other. "I just want her to stay away from Cameron."

Smirking, House got up from his chair and went to get some coffee. "Yeah, and that's exactly what she'll do because you've got her figured out."

Chase watched House limp his way from the counter and back to the table, his eyes full of disdain. House was just looking at him disapprovingly, and he wasn't just going to sit there and tolerate it.

"I have to go." He said, rising from his seat. House just watched him, and gave him a weak nod in approval.

Seeing Chase walk off through the hall, House tilted his head back, his mind deep in thought.

"Let's clean this thing up," he whispered.

* * *

Cameron stared at her almost empty plate, poking her leftovers with her fork. She was in her apartment, alone, and had just finished eating. It was actually noon, but she craved for toast and bacon earlier that morning so she decided to prepare breakfast food instead.

She remembered having breakfast with the brunette a few weeks back when she had invited her to come over after a nightshift. It was an awkward encounter, nevertheless an enjoyable one. She glanced at the chair the younger doctor had occupied.

"I miss you Remy," she murmured, still looking at the chair.

Realizing that she was about to cry again, the blond stood up and took the plate to the sink, occupying her mind with things other than the brunette.

She was about to get herself a glass of juice from the fridge when a knock startled her. Her first thought was that it was Thirteen at the door, but her mind immediately told her not to expect anything to avoid disappointment. Carefully placing the still empty glass on the counter, she walked to the door and slowly opened the door.

House stood in the doorway, his head down and his hand gripping his cane tightly.

Cameron stood directly in front of him, her right hand still on the knob. The way she felt unsurprised about his presence annoyed her to no end. He was certainly not there for a friendly chat, and she was certainly not in the mood to entertain uninvited company.

"How did you find out where I live?"

House raised his head slightly, but did not make eye contact. "We need to talk."

"How did you find out that I live here House?" She repeated, gritting her teeth afterwards. She pulled the door slightly, as if warning House that she'd be more than willing to close to door right on his face.

However, the warning did not seem to work as Cameron expected. House shifted himself slightly and looked at her in the eye.

"Fine," Cameron said, closing the door. She thought she would be successful in doing so, but House lodged his cane through the doorway just as she was about to shut the door.

"Cameron," he called out calmly. The blond couldn't help but roll her eyes when she saw the cane sticking out from outside. Letting out a sigh, she pulled the door open again.

"I won't let you in unless you answer my questions," she demanded. The situation felt surreal to her; she seemed to have the upper hand for the first time. House seemed almost scared of her. _Wait, does he have anything to do with what has been happening?_

The blond was not able to ponder upon her question any longer, as she was brought out of her line of thought by House's voice.

"Cuddy told me where you live."

What she heard surprised Cameron. Why would Cuddy give House her address? She stood with her eyes widening slightly, her mouth left open in surprise.

House read her immediately and gave her a weak smile. "She knows that she told me, if that's what you're thinking. It's that important that we talk."

The blond's immediate thought was that her ex-boss was playing a trick on her, but her gut told her that she should try to at least hear him out, just in case he's saying the truth.

"If it's so important, then why wait?" the woman asked, letting go of the door and resting both her hands on her hips. "Tell me now."

"Ok," House ran his fingers through his thin graying hair, looking as if he was trying to find the right words for what he was about to say. He glanced up and looked at the blond in the eye.

"I know what happened. I know about you and Thirteen. I also know about Chase."

Cameron ran her hand across her face. She was irritated and it showed. "So that's it? You came here to boast how you know about what has been happening in my life even after I left the hospital?"

Despite the woman raising her voice, House did not react one bit, and just looked at the blond rather apologetically.

"What I came here to say is that I know Chase called Thirteen and told her that she is not good enough for you."

The words sounded weird to Cameron, and it took her a few seconds to process what she had just heard. Her eyebrows where now furrowed, and her eyes displayed confusion.

"When did he do that?"

House let out a sigh, and stared momentarily at his cane before looking back up again at Cameron. "He didn't say. I'm guessing it was when you were talking with him about the divorce."

How House knew so much about what had happened stunned Cameron, but she knew she had to concentrate on what he was saying now, instead of how he knew about it.

"H-how did you—"

"I was the one who told him you and Thirteen were in the restaurant that day," House explained, cutting her off.

"Why?" Cameron stammered, her right hand holding the knob again. She realized it was pathetic to even ask why House would do such a thing; his curiosity had never known any boundaries. "You know what, don't answer—"

"Because Chase is right; she's not good enough for you."

Cameron threw her arms in the air, her restraint clearly vanishing. "That's rich! You and Chase actually found the nerve to think that you had any idea what was good for me?! Of all people?! You're both pathetic."

House simply stared at her as she spoke, his hands gripping his cane tighter than it did before.

"So now you're telling me about Chase discouraging Remy? For what, House? So we can fix things up and then you can mess it up again?"

House took a step backwards, and looked like he was about to leave "I told you because she's not _just_ good enough for you, she's perfect." Giving the woman a weak and final smile, House turned and began walking down the hall away from Cameron.

For the third time since the beginning of their conversation, Cameron was surprised by House and his vague, confusing statements. She took a step and looked down the hall where House was walking away casually.

She stepped back into her apartment seconds after and took a seat on her couch to absorb what had just happened. _When did Chase call Remy? Why would he do that?_

At that point Cameron realized she was confused about the situation. As far as she knew, Chase and her ended things favorably. Also, the surgeon promised to be fine about everything despite his violent initial reaction. What House had just told her didn't seem to fit.

She was starting to think that House lied to her throughout their conversation, but soon thought otherwise when she remembered what Katie had said.

_Something made her think she __did__ lose you, and after that, that was all there is._

Finally realizing what she needs to do, Cameron hastily stood up and grabbed her things before heading out of her apartment.

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**OK, now I hope you guys are up for some Chase ass-kicking for the next chap? Because I sure am! :p**


	23. Roll with The Punches

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews guys. They are really nice and I really, REALLY enjoy reading them.**

**As for the last chapter, I'm sorry if it was a little OOC for House to do that. There's a selfish reason behind that I guess; I just really wanted it to be House who fixed things up. Dunno, maybe it's the effect of not being able to watch a new ep for so long =(**

**Anyhow, if it seemed really far fetched, I'm sorry.**

**Without further a do, here's the next chap =)**

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**Despite her eagerness, Cameron couldn't deny that she was scared as hell. The drive wasn't particularly pleasant, and this walk down the hall towards Thirteen's apartment was apparently isn't any easier.

There was conflict in every step she took; she was undecided whether to pick up her pace or slow it down. Approaching a door with a metal plate the shape of the number 3 on it, Cameron breathed deeply and took a moment to gather her thoughts.

She did not know what to expect; Thirteen wasn't really in a good state when she last saw her. The possibility that the brunette is in the very same state that she had seen her in a few days back worried her.

_But worrying accomplishes nothing_, she said to herself. Deciding to go through with it, she raised her hand which formed a fist, and knocked gently.

There was no response, no sound, whatsoever. No indication that anybody heard her knock. Knocking again, she took a step closer towards the door and turned her head sideways, pressing her ear against the door.

The door opened so quickly that Cameron didn't have the time to step away from the door as it opened. Feeling the absence of the wooden surface, Cameron immediately stepped back and composed herself desperately.

"Okaay," Thirteen said smugly, her eyebrows furrowed. Cameron was actually worried that the brunette might laugh that she caught her in a ridiculous position, but the expression on Thirteen's face was nowhere near laughter.

"We need to talk," the blond said meekly, her eyes meeting the brunette's. Her voice faltered a bit as she felt a lump form in her throat.

There was no indication of any type of reaction on Thirteen's face; however she did look better than she did when the blond last saw her.

"Come in," Thirteen answered dryly a few seconds later, quickly turning her back and walking inside. Cameron held the door that was left open by the brunette and closed it after she stepped in. This was clearly not a warm welcome.

Making her way to the living room, the blond saw that the brunette's apartment was already cleaned up. It was no longer riddled with bottles and cigarette butts as it was before. As glad as she was, she knew this was not the best time to make compliments about the tidiness of one's apartment.

"Want some beer?" The brunette asked casually. She was sitting on her couch, lodging a piece of lemon into a beer bottle.

"No, thanks." Cameron answered. She took a seat on the couch a couple of feet away from the brunette.

Watching the piece of lemon sink into the bottom of the bottle, Thirteen shifted sideways towards Cameron. "So Dr. Cameron, what do we talk about?" she asked impatiently.

The way the brunette addressed her bothered the blond, but not as much as how Thirteen seemed to be contented of doing it.

"Look, Remy," the blond started. She realized that she hadn't thought through how she was going to say what she was supposed to say. Thirteen raised her eyebrows at her, anticipating what she's about to say.

"I know everything that's happened."

Thirteen let out a chuckle and took a swig off her beer. "Dr. Cameron, it's OK. It's done, it's over. We tried, we failed. That's just the way it goes."

Cameron could hardly believe what she was hearing; Thirteen had given up and is now trying to close herself up again. By then she realized that if she had any chances of reasoning with the brunette and be with her again, she couldn't simply go and toss arguments towards Thirteen, she had to be straight to the point.

Cameron shifted herself as well so that she and the brunette were facing each other. "You don't want to be with me anymore?"

Thirteen glanced up the ceiling in thought, and looked at her again. "We can't always get what we want."

"Maybe not always," Cameron responded. She inched her hand closer to Thirteen and took her hand. "But this time we can. I know Chase called you, and I know what he said. I came here to tell you to trust me. Trust me that I know what I want and what's good for me, and neither of that was ever him. It's you."

Thirteen's demeanor changed as she heard this. She was looking down at her own hand with Cameron's on top of it. Sadness can be traced from her eyes as she breathed deeply and looked up to meet Cameron's eyes once again. "But he's right," she said softly. "I'm dying."

Cameron gave her an assuring smile and leaned closer to the brunette. "I know this isn't a nice thought but, aren't we all dying?"

A small, weak smile appeared on the brunette's face. "Yeah, that isn't a nice thought."

The blond gently swept the hair that were on Thirteen's face and tucked them behind her ear. "So how about you become mine again, Dr. Hadley?"

Thirteen placed the bottle that she was still holding on the table, and gave Cameron a more expressive smile. "I am sure that can be arranged,"

She pulled Cameron closer and pressed her lips against the blond's. That moment felt exquisite for the brunette -- like coming home to a place she hadn't gone to before and feeling all the wonderful memories wash down over her.

Cameron was obviously just as eager, immediately demanding access to the inside of the brunette's mouth. Thirteen gave in almost without delay, moaning softly as she felt the blond's tongue brush up against hers.

"Well that was much better than beer," Thirteen commented, gently rubbing Cameron's arm moments later. She had ended up lying on the couch with the blond on top of her after their rather intense make out session.

"You should know that by now," Cameron smirked, nuzzling against Thirteen's chest. Feeling the brunette's arm around her and hearing the sound of her heartbeat comforted Cameron in a way that it almost overwhelmed her. It was a feeling of certain security, something she never felt with Chase, or even her first husband.

Thirteen stared at the window, thinking of what an emotional rollercoaster the past days had been, and thankful that it had ended with the blond in her arms. Her mind brought her back to getting that phone call from Chase.

"So Chase told you he called me?" she asked.

Cameron raised her head slightly and looked at the brunette. "No, actually, House told me."

The hesitation and worry in Cameron's voice and the mention of House painted the whole story for Thirteen. She had expected House to tell Chase about them, she just became too distracted to think about it. "House was the one who told Chase, wasn't he?" she asked, eyebrows furrowed.

The blond shifted herself again and ended up straddling the brunette. She was surprised Thirteen figured that out right away, but then again, the brunette did always remind her of House; it wouldn't be surprising if they'd be able to read each other's minds so easily. "Yeah. The thing is I don't even know how he found out about us."

Thirteen looked at her as if she said something ridiculous. "You're surprised House found out something he is not supposed to know? Really Ally?"

Cameron stared into space in thought and giggled. "Well I guess it is not that surprising." She leaned down and gave Thirteen a kiss.

"You have no idea how good it feels to hear you call me like that again," she whispered.

"Hmm." Thirteen moaned, gently biting the blond's lower lip and giving her another kiss.

"I'm not even as pissed off at House as I am at Chase." Thirteen stated as they broke the kiss. "I seriously want to kick his ass."

Cameron got herself off Thirteen and stood beside the couch. "Well, he's all yours now. Come Monday, we'll be nothing more than strangers." She took the beer bottle the brunette was drinking on earlier and walked to the kitchen.

The brunette watched the blond—now her girlfriend—walk off with her bottle and couldn't help but smile; she missed this.

The blond placed the bottle on the counter and walked to the fridge to get herself some water. She paused for a while and looked around the apartment. The kitchen was clean, the fridge was full of beer, and even from the view at the kitchen, she could see that the bedroom was definitely a mess. There was a great sense of familiarity and comfort towards the place, one that she never felt even in her own home with Chase.

"Remy, what do you think about me going back to the hospital?"

* * *

House pressed the button on the elevator with his cane and then faced Chase. "I heard Thirteen is going back to work today, are you excited?"

"If it means less workload for me, then yes," the man answered smugly, putting both his hands inside his lab coat pockets. "And besides, why are you asking me, maybe Foreman is the one who's excited."

Foreman rolled his eyes and shot the Australian an irritated look. House saw this and turned back towards Chase, "His reaction is given, and it's yours I'm interested in."

The elevator door opened as he spoke, and the three men stepped out into the ground floor of the hospital.

"Where are we going?" Foreman asked.

"To find a patient of course! What else could we…?"

House stopped in his tracks and had his eyes set on the entrance of the hospital.

Foreman and Chase turned to see what had made House pause, and saw Cameron walking towards them, her hand holding Thirteen's, who was right beside her.

"Speaking of the devils," House murmured, motioning towards Chase. The surgeon swallowed hard, and composed himself as the two women worked towards them.

"Hey boys," Thirteen greeted cheerily.

"Hey," House answered. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked at both women alternately; something was up and he knew it.

"Hey Robert," Cameron greeted, looking at Chase. She let go of Thirteen's hand and stepped closer to him, a smile shown on her face.

"H-hi?" Chase responded hesitatingly, looking confused as he watched Cameron closer to him. She raised both her arms sideways as she came closer. _Is she going to hug me?_

Before Chase could even make up another thought, he felt Cameron's palm strike the side of his face with great force. "That's for trying to mess us up!"

The hit caused him to stumble right into Foreman, who was stunned and unable to react.

House on the other hand just grinned. "Cool!" he exclaimed, eyeing Cameron.

Chase straightened out his coat which was crumpled by his own hand, and tried to compose himself. He glanced at House and rolled his eyes when he saw him grinning.

"I'm back. Get used to it." Cameron announced sternly, looking at Chase and then at House. The grin on House's face faded, and he nodded at Cameron in acknowledgement.

With that, Cameron walked off, in the direction of Cuddy's office.

"Well that was interesting." House commented, looking at Thirteen who was looking all too giddily at the three male doctors.

"I'll say," Foreman muttered, turning towards Chase.

Chase was about to say something when he felt another hit on his face. It was a fist this time -- Thirteen's fist to be exact. He staggered back and ended up falling down, his hand holding the left side of his face.

"That's because I hate you." Thirteen stated, nursing her own fist. It had been some time before she had punched someone, and she must admit she had forgotten how much it hurts.

"Cooler!" House spoke again, the grin back on his face and his eyes set on Chase, who was still sitting on the floor.

"Shut up House!" Foreman warned, helping Chase get up.

Thirteen looked at Chase with disgust, and began walking off the same direction Cameron did a few moments before.

"Thirteen!" House called out.

The brunette turned and faced her boss, her face sporting a contented smile.

"In my office after twenty, ok?"

"Yes boss!" Thirteen answered before walking off again.

* * *

**Did it seem too rushed? I was so excited in writing it that I think it ended up lacking in detail. :\**


	24. Last Laugh

"So, what do we have here?" House asked, leaning on his chair. He had summoned both Chase and Thirteen back at his office after Chase had himself cleaned up and Thirteen came out of Cuddy's office with Cameron. Both were now standing side-by-side in front of him.

"This bitch punched me!" Chase growled, holding an ice pack against his now swollen eye.

House rolled his eyes and took his ball from the table. "I know; I was there. That was rhetorical, dumb ass."

Thirteen glanced towards the diagnostics office where Cameron sat, and gave her a quick smile before looking back at House. House was looking at her and was acting like he was about to vomit.

"What?" Thirteen asked.

"You're all googly-eyed. It's creepy." House responded, throwing the ball in the air and catching it. "So, what did Cuddy say?"

The brunette glanced towards the diagnostics office again and raised her eyebrows worriedly at Cameron, as if asking permission.

"Oh come on!" House complained, setting the ball back on the table. "You have to ask her permission now? Aren't you supposed to be bad ass or something?!"

Seeing Cameron nod lightly, Thirteen turned back towards her boss. "Shut up House."

House set the ball back where it was and then put his feet up on the table. "Well?!" He said impatiently. "We got a go from the commander, what did Cuddy say?"

Thirteen took her left hand out of her pocket and ran her fingers through her hair. She'd usually use her right hand to do it, but her fist was still red from punching Chase, and she didn't want him and House to get the pleasure of seeing her sore hand.

"Cuddy said she had just hired a new ER head so there are only two possible departments Cameron could go right now: Psych, or here at Diagnostics, _if_ a slot opens up for another member."

House stared at the ceiling in thought, "Interesting."

Thirteen glanced towards Chase's direction, only to meet his infuriated stare. _Pathetic_, she thought. Chase seemed to have read her thought, as his look grew sterner and his other hand had turned into a fist.

The quickly building tension was broken by the sound of House's voice.

"Gotta do what we gotta do. You're fired."

Both doctors looked up at House to see to whom he addressed his statement.

"What?" Thirteen asked, agape and with her eyebrows furrowed.

"You're fired," House repeated, this time his eyes set on the doctor he was pertaining to.

Chase snickered a few times and then glanced at Thirteen. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

* * *

**So this is like another teaser-type chap lol! which also explains the early update :p  
**

**Just had a sudden and strong urge to write, and also realized that we're at the last stretch, and didn't want to finish things up just yet.****  
**

**Again, thank you for the wonderful reviews. **


	25. Resolution

"Go tend to your lovey dovey for a while Thirty one," House continued. "I have to talk to wombat here."

Thirteen pursed her lips and walked towards the door to the diagnostics room.

Seeing that Thirteen was already beside Cameron in the other room, Chase walked closer to House's table and momentarily removed the ice pack from his face. "You're kidding, right?"

House just looked at Chase blankly, as if he was watching an animated character in front of him. He squinted his right eye for a second like he was in consideration, and then spoke again deadpanned.

"No false alarms, you're fired."

Chase gritted his teeth and again raised the ice towards his face. "I can't believe this!"

"That bitch stole my wife from me," he continued, pointing towards Thirteen. "And now I get fired? She's not even good for her and you know it! You agreed with me remember?"

House placed down his feet from the table and repositioned himself on his seat. "She didn't steal Cameron from you, you lost her all by yourself," he explained calmly. "Also, I lied; I think she's good for her."

Chase simply looked at him with his eyebrows furrowed. None of what House was telling him was something he hadn't figured out, but he also knew there's more to hear.

"Lastly, the fact that you had to go behind Cameron's back and torment Thirteen just to try to prove that she isn't good enough for Cameron is pathetic. Trying to prove something by saying it is stupid. Smart people who want to prove something find proof, and then let the proof speak for itself."

"And that's what I got fired for?" Chase asked, now all confused.

"Well actually you gave me that reason," House answered, rising from his seat and tapping the glass wall with his cane. "My own reason is really, just because you're an ass."

Thirteen got the hint and walked back into House's office. Chase turned and looked at her, and then Cameron, who was watching them from the other room. He shook his head and walked out of the room, his hand almost numb from holding onto the ice pack.

Thirteen followed him with her eyes up until the moment he was out of sight. House watched her do so, and noticed that her right hand was clenched from inside her jeans pocket.

"You need to put some ice on that."

Thirteen turned to face her boss again, and saw that he was looking at her pocket where her aching right hand was. "No, it's alright" she said, unclenching her fist.

"I guess you have someone who'll take care of that now huh?" House answered, glancing quickly towards Cameron. He placed his entwined hands behind him and rested his head on them. A barely traceable smile was on his face.

"Yeah, I guess so," Thirteen answered, smiling at Cameron and then taking her hurting hand out of her pocket. She looked at it for a few seconds, and figured that it had gotten worse in previous situations.

She looked back towards House again and raised her eyebrows at him. "What now House?"

House raised his feet back on the table and then smirked at her. "You owe me."

"Owe you what?" the brunette responded, her eyes widening a bit. "Chase being fired? I didn't ask you to do that."

"No," House responded, "You owe me this, you and Cameron. Now if you must know I accept payments in the form of home-made videos, just as long as it includes make out sessions and sexy time!"

Thirteen laughed lightly and her face contorted a little upon her boss's ridiculous proposition. "I don't owe you anything House, you're even lucky that I didn't punch you too!" she said jokingly.

"You owe me the stability of your relationship." House answered seconds later.

His voice boasting a sense of certainty that didn't make sense to Thirteen. Her suspicions growing, she raised her eyebrow at her boss. _Something is up again._

"I get the whole screwing with us just because," she explains. "But saying that we owe the stability of our relationship to you after you screwed with us? That's just weird."

House grabbed his cane from his table and played with it. He took a quick glance at Cameron before looking back at Thirteen.

"I did it because I had to. You had to know what you were up against. Things had to be hard for you to be sure of what you were getting into. If things had gone easy it would have crumbled the moment it got tested. I had to intervene because I wanted it to work."

"Riight. You were looking out for us, really noble." Thirteen said, nodding slowly a few times and taking a step closer to House's table. "But we've shown earlier, we do not need looking out for."

House stopped playing with his cane and held it firmly with his hand. "If you didn't, you would've realized you two shouldn't have gone in denial about the pending divorce with Chase, and settled it right away."

As much as Thirteen hated it, she knew House was right. If not for Chase finding out, she didn't know at what point she and Cameron would ever address the whole situation as it was.

Putting both her hands inside her pockets, Thirteen gave her boss a meaningful smile before walking towards the door to the diagnostics room. "Thanks House."

"As I said before, I accept payments in the form of—"

"Shut up House!" Thirteen interrupted as she walked towards Cameron inside diagnostics. House followed suit and approached both women.

The moment was a tad bit awkward, so Thirteen decided that she would let both House and Cameron work out their issues privately. She distanced herself from the pair and walked towards the counter at the other end of the room.

"Welcome back," he said, eyes set directly on Cameron.

"Thank you." Cameron answered. She seemed like she was in thought for a few seconds, which caused House to slightly narrow his eyes at her. A little later after that, she raised her arm to shake his hand.

House looked at Cameron's raised arm for a few seconds. He had seen this gesture twice before, and never did he respond the way he should. In both those times he had wanted to shake her hand, but his own mind told him not to. It just wasn't right.

Hesitating, he let go of his cane and held it with his left hand. With his right hand now free, he raised his arm, and shook Cameron's hand.

* * *

**That's it! We're done! I hope it was a satisfying ending for everyone. I had actually thought about creating a new issue (the being fired thing) to keep things going, but later figured that 25 chapters is probably enough for this one. =)**

**Well this was quite an experience =) I feel so happy to have tried writing a fanfic, because it is such an enjoyable experience, not to mention a stress-relieving one!**

**I want to thank EVERYONE who read the fic, especially those that took the time to send in their reviews and give their input on the story. Still can't believe I got 221 reviews for my first fic! Wow!**

**Again, thank you. Hopefully I will get a surge of inspiration like the one I had when I started writing this one. If ever you come across an idea that you want something about it written, just tell me and I'll try to come up with something.**

**Until then, I will be enjoying YOUR posts =)**

**Thanks!**


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